Your Wedding After Ours
by Matchacha
Summary: Rinto and Lenka are now a married couple, and they want their siblings Rin and Len to AT LEAST get along. But the both of them are stubborn and hate each others' guts! Will matchmaking help, or will they kill each other first? RinXLen noncest. T for grumpy Len.
1. Annoyance, Denial

**A/N:** Inspired by attending a friend's wedding :) Enjoy!

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><p>Weddings were joyous and celebratory occasions. People often got very fussy over them as everything had to be 'perfect' and 'spectacular' to get the dream wedding they desired. It was reasonable, because they only occurred once in every person's lifetime. It signified the permanent linking between the husband and wife, signifying that they were one, never to be parted.<p>

Well, let's just forget about the part where it only happens once. It can happen multiple times, if the person himself is not part of the couple. The persons in the audience may have also been to more than one wedding, perhaps their own as well.

In short, these occasions were meant to be filled with a happy aura, simple as that.

If this is so, why was Rin Kagamine the only sour person at her older brother's wedding?

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><p>The rowdiness at the Kagamine mansion that particular morning could not be compared to a jam-packed sports stadium. Numerous maids and butlers could be seen rushing all over the grounds, carrying vases, foldable tables, glass swans, and regal chairs to the family's unbelievably large backyard. It was about three football fields wide. This could barely hold the masses of the invited people.<p>

Now, this mansion did not belong to Rin and her family. In fact, her folks were just the ordinary sort, a type where news reporters would not dare interview. They were so plain that if not for the fact that the groom was related to them, they could've blended in with the guests that would be coming much later in the evening.

The place belonged to a rich family by the same surname as Kagamine. Their daughter Lenka was a model, an actress, and had recently started a fashion designing business. The twenty six year old was known as one of the rare 'non-bitchy' actresses and was a kind soul to everyone. She was undeniably very attractive too. Her features were the pure envy of other young women, and her shining golden hair was often kept up in a simple unflattering ponytail. Anyone who saw her on the street and was not aware of her identity would've thought that she was a fallen angel.

She would today be marrying Rinto Kagamine, Rin's older brother. At a ripe age of twenty seven, he was the most eligible and popular bachelor in town. Like Lenka, he was better-looking than most men, carrying a tough, well toned, physique and a mop of golden hair that seemed to stick out in all directions but was at the same time absolutely perfect. However, his personality was a stark contrast from Lenka's; he enjoyed flirting with women, instead of being discreet. This habit stopped as soon as he set his eyes on the model.

Rinto was randomly chosen to work as Lenka's bodyguard-of-the-day as soon as strange rumors of a stalker surfaced, and when the servants found him working out at the gym. Against his will, Rinto was dragged to the mansion to guard her for the entire day. He immediately calmed down, though, when he was paid millions.

Things were fine, and Rinto did as he was told. Lenka couldn't resist starting a conversation and her parents were aghast upon reaching home to check on her. Both blondes were found passionately kissing, with Rinto pressing her onto the wall. Both parents fainted on the spot and had to be revived with a butler's sweaty socks.

Things weren't easy to sort out, but Lenka's mother saved Rinto and let them get married. Gramps wasn't too happy, though, but accepted the situation when he found that both parties truly loved each other. It sounded ridiculous, marrying his daughter off to a 'peasant', but it couldn't be helped. They were already inseparable.

Rin, like Lenka's father, was not all ears when she heard that her brother was marrying a "world-famous whore". Things were straightened out when the girls met in person. Rin saw Lenka as an older sister, and Lenka adored her fiancé's cute sibling, admiring how the seventeen year old used a big bow as a staple accessory.

…Well, that's quite enough background. Let's skip to the fated meeting, shall we?

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><p>"Rin, I'd like you to meet someone," Lenka said, tugging the girl gently by the arm. She was wearing her wedding gown, and her hair swayed as she tried to get Rin away from the desserts section of the buffet. Rin resisted, and eyed the bride suspiciously from head to toe.<p>

The girl's stern gaze softened upon seeing that the bride gave off a purely innocent aura. It helped too, that she was wearing a creamy white dress with gold laces and ribbons. The dress was custom-made, designed by Lenka herself, and it cost a bomb to make it.

Rin sighed. "Don't introduce me to some terrorist or anything." She was the overly-cautious type.

Lenka simply giggled and led her to a private garden in the mansion. The area was closed off to guests, and it had a tranquil feel with all the flowers and water fountains around. Leaning on a pillar was a teen boy with sandy blonde hair tied into a small ponytail and unruly spiky bangs, similar to Lenka. He wore a white suit, and was probably a guest on the forbidden grounds. His eyes were closed, and he appeared to be taking a nap.

"Len, look at who I've brought!" Lenka shouted, waving excitedly to the boy. Immediately, Len's eyes snapped open and he turned to them and scanned Rin for a few moments before an unmoving scowl on formed his face. _Someone's grouchy, _Rin thought.

Wordlessly, Len came up to them nonchalantly and folded his arms once he was close enough. On closer observation, Rin saw that he had a striking resemblance to her, having pure azure eyes and short golden hair. What made the difference was that happy Rin's eyes were shining; moody Len's eyes were much darker, hinting malicious thoughts.

Both teens remained silent and continued to stare inquisitively at each other until Lenka found it too quiet for her liking, and did the introductions herself.

"Len, meet Rin. She's the little sister of my darling," Lenka offered, giving Len a brief pleading glance. She turned to Rin with a smile. "Meet Lenny, my sulky little brother." She playfully ruffled Len's hair and laughed as he brushed her off irritably, proving her point.

Rin sorted out her thoughts as the two rich kids jokingly bickered. She couldn't deny it; Len was handsome, and he seemed to be intelligent enough to know what she was thinking. What she was concerned about was _his_ _opinions of her_. He didn't really seem to take her to his liking, the exact opposite happened, but she couldn't really judge at this point of time, right?

"N-nice to meet you, Len," Rin interrupted softly, holding out her hand. Lenka eyed her brother carefully as he too, stretched out his hand for a shake.

Before they could even touch, however, Len pulled his hand away, snickering at the girl's shocked expression in complete mockery. Staring her down, he sneered, "I'd be nice to meet you too, but I don't like commoners who try to look like rabbits." He shot the bride a glare before walking away.

Something popped inside of Rin, and it took almost every bit of her energy to restrain herself to not smile sadistically and shoot back the insult with her forked tongue. No need for long winded theories, the guy was a complete _jackass!_

Lenka fumed. "Len, wait! That's not how you treat the sister of the groom! Len, you're such a jerk!" She yelled after him. She dared not glance at Rin and bowed apologetically. "I'm really sorry; he isn't exactly at his best with strangers. He's not usually like this, really…" Her voice trailed off, and her shoulders lowered.

The girl decided to let it slide. No matter how much she wanted to get back at Len, she couldn't forget that this was _his sister and her brother's _precious day. Surely Lenka's impression of her was more important than vengeance? Not that she liked it, but she knew that the rest of her day had just been ruined.

Rin slapped her playfully on the back. "It's no big deal. Have you planned your honeymoon with my brother yet?" She grinned and dodged the punch aimed at her, laughing. "No? Should I rephrase that? Have you made plans on _baby-making_?"

"Stop talking like that already, you dirty-minded…!" Lenka hollered, swatting Rin with one of her gloved hands while holding her scarlet cheek in the other. She had a point—Rin had often joked about the two of them making love, and it was strenuous enough not to give in to the temptation. "Ugh, thanks a lot!"

Seconds later, after the atmosphere had cleared up, Rin was dragged along with Lenka as she sought out her soon-to-be husband, ignoring the stares at her glittery dress and slim body as she pushed past the crowd surrounding the handsome groom. He was dressed neatly in a white suit like Len's, only with more gold embroidery and a single red rose tucked in his breast pocket.

It amazed Rin to see her brother in fancy clothing like this. Most of the time, he would either be in a plain singlet with sweatpants or be topless altogether, coming home dripping in perspiration after a long workout. He had been doing this for the last five years, so she was used to it.

The female guests around him gushed and cooed as he coolly answered their many irrelevant questions, such as "What time do you get off work?" and "Care to sign my bust?" One had even asked if he was really marrying Lenka and if it was a mistake or not. Rinto was probably the best-looking man among those present. Rin smiled wryly and wished the single men all the luck they could get.

Lenka shoved past the lovesick ladies and gave Rinto a quick peck on the cheek, much to the envy of the crowd. Rinto smirked and whispered, "Did you call the press? It's a star's wedding, after all." He placed his hand on her perfect waist and held her close.

The bride gazed lovingly at him and answered, "Darling, screw the press; I don't like all those cameras taking our kiss."

* * *

><p>"You may now kiss the bride." The words of the priest repeated endlessly in Len's ears like a broken record as the two blondes leaned in. He was sure that he was the only one present who wanted to object. It was too late now; his sister was now officially married to a poor, orange-loving, clip wearing playboy. He would never forget those six words for as long as he lived.<p>

Well, what do you know? It would seem like Rin was not the only moody one at the celebrations.

He was in his seat, cursing the groom with every foul word he could think of as the guests cheered on and the women cried simultaneously. Why was all this fuss needed for a stupid wedding? And it was at _his _house, nonetheless. If he could, he would chase all the people out and beat the blonde freak to a pulp for choosing his beloved older sister.

Then again, the fact that there were plenty of banana flavored desserts available kept him on his leash. At least there was something he could actually _enjoy_ and not mope and cuss about.

Lenka had to introduce him to that stupid girl with the ridiculous bow on her head. She was his age of seventeen, for goodness sake! And her name… what was it? Ron, Rang, Rin? That's it. Geez, her name even sounded so stupid and childish, to the point where he couldn't even stand to have it rolling off his tongue. He called her 'rabbit' and 'commoner' instead. There, problem fixed.

Much earlier, Lenka had told him about Rinto's younger sister. He had heard that she was a spunky, friendly girl, was responsible for herself, and had the face of an angel. It seemed like she was exaggerating too much. Did the rabbit infect her eyes or something?

Truth be told, he had actually _liked_ the description his sister had given him. Because of that, he agreed to wait for Lenka to bring her to meet him in person, something he had never done before with the blind dates and the 'meet someone' sessions she had tried to get him into. He was expecting someone who had a beautiful physique and was like his sister: caring and kind. But what did he get?

He, instead of seeing his ideal person, saw a timid flat-chest rabbit who wore nothing but a plain one-piece orange dress. What made it worse was her bow—she looked so damn immature in that thing! Hadn't anyone told her how plain-Jane she looked, or told her to at least _glance at _herself in a freaking mirror? Heck, even Rinto looked better than her in a dress!

His disappointment and frustration worsened the rest of his day. He had been in a good mood too, if not for that… rabbit. He didn't care if Lenka decided to spank or whip him later—it was that entire girl's fault. Stupid wedding, stupid girl, stupid… everything!

As the buffet dinner commenced, he got in the dessert line. He was allowed to eat hours before to let the guests "have some space", and now craved for the banana puddings he had seen. The family had chef done his job well, extraordinarily, to be exact.

Life hated him, and made something to prove it.

_Stupid rabbit_, he cursed mentally as he queued behind her. She wasn't much shorter than him, and her curves seemed to be more prominent now that his frustration was kept away by his appetite. Whoa, she really had a nice body. Had she been working out with Rinto or something? Her sleeveless dress revealed her soft, fair skin, in its entire unblemished, scar-less glory.

_Damn it._

"Move already, idiot!" He hissed, shoving her to one side. He placed some pudding cups on his plate and eyed her cautiously. As expected, she was glaring daggers at him, but took no action and collected some orange fruit tarts from a nearby platter.

Observation: Like her brother, rabbit also likes oranges. Rabbit doesn't get pissed off so easily.

Everything proceeded smoothly from there on, save for their rude 'unintended' shoving on the way to the table. Lenka was chatting tirelessly to her husband's parents while Rinto sat beside her, politely discussing matters with his wife's parents. On both sides, the mothers were cheerfully trading jokes with one another while the fathers seemed agitated and restless, being sarcastic every now and then.

Throughout his meal, Len couldn't help but glance at Rin occasionally whenever he looked up from his plate to chat with the other adults. She would catch him and return his stares with a rather forced smile, and he would look away, pretending to scoff at her dopey face, just to annoy her even more.

It made him uncomfortable, that each time he looked in her direction; something would flutter in his chest, and his tongue would twist itself into knots, rendering him incapable of even mocking her or replying to her inquisitive parents. Whatever it was, it made him sick. He despised that feeling, and he wanted so badly to be able to just squash it between his fingers like a helpless bug.

Still, it persisted, now reddening his face by a fraction when their identical sapphire eyes met. He would try to cover up any emotion he had on his face, while she would dive and search into his orbs curiously, as if wanting explanations and answers for their awkward interactions.

In the end, he could only conclude that the feeling he had was pure hatred. That was the only logical thing to say, after all. There were butterflies in his stomach because he was uncomfortable and wanted to get _away _from her as soon as possible. He couldn't speak because his hatred was so strong he couldn't even put into words, and the reddening on his face was how furious he got whenever he looked at her.

That was it. It was a simple, accurate explanation. Denial is the first step? Whatever would that mean, when he wasn't even interested? Now he wouldn't have to worry, period.

How foolish he was to think so.

He noticed, that as she got up from the white table and made her way to see the wedding carriage the couple had bought, the men present would glance in her direction and occasionally mutter and point among themselves. It caused a different emotion to bubble in his chest.

He felt that he wanted to go there and _hold her hand _and shoot down the rest. The lustful eyes they gave… he wanted to just rip them out and send them flying in the air with his power-packed fist. His heart would beat twice as fast with adrenaline whenever a young man approached her, and it would sink terribly when he made her laugh so very delicately with his jokes.

Was he… jealous?

_Damn it._

Finally, when Rinto and Lenka were in the carriage, crowds rapidly formed around them, yelling and cheering, wishing them a safe departure and return as they set off to their honeymoon. The women seemed more excited than the rest, though. They jumped and waved their hands, shouting for Lenka to "throw it".

Len stood a fair distance from the mass of people. It then occurred to him what his mother had told Lenka and him about the bouquets the bride threw at weddings.

"_Whoever catches the bride's bouquet will be the next one to get married..."_

As if it were a reflex, his eyes searched for Rin. He found her at the desserts row, looking uninterested as she placed more fruit tarts onto her plate. He deflated instantly and sighed, before gasping and sticking his tongue out in disgust. Why did he have his hopes up? A rabbit like her wouldn't even be able to marry anyway.

The bouquet Lenka held was a mixed bunch of expensive snow-white carnations and blood-red roses, all neatly held together with a gold satin cloth and ribbon. As he examined the crowd, it shocked him to see that many of the young girls around had their hungry, lustful gazes on _him. _Despite the fear of being passionately mauled, Len stood his ground and put on his best 'I-don't-give-a-damn' face.

Suddenly, Lenka stood up in the carriage, firmly clutching the flowers. Her face was contorted in anxiety and uncertainty as her blue eyes scanned the rabid crowd. The women and girls were now literally leaping like kangaroos, screaming in hopes of catching it. It seemed like the stupid flowers were like a thirteen inch diamond or something.

To everyone's surprise, Rinto stood up very carefully and supported his wife's arm as she did some practice swings to excite the mob even more. The shrieks grew louder, and Rin was now looking on from where she was at the table with great interest.

As if time had stopped, the bouquet suddenly ripped through the air above Len's head. Almost immediately, the rabble stampeded past him, leaving him dizzy. He heard a shriek of astonishment and the moans of discontentment that followed as his eyes returned to the couple. Lenka was giggling while her husband had an ashen complexion, not comprehending the craze.

Time stopped a second more as the results were more evident. Rin was now standing, her face pale as her fingers closed in on the bouquet. Her dress and hair, and the flowers themselves were smeared in cream. It had apparently crash-landed on her food and into her trembling hands.

"_Whoever catches the bride's bouquet will be the next one to get married…"_

Once again, Len had an inexplicable feeling washing over him. It was a mix of joy, excitement, and… relief?

"Hey, Len, look over here!" He heard his sister call his name, and he whipped his head toward the carriage. Rinto was smirking and gave him a thumbs-up, while Lenka was covering her mouth and giggling even more hysterically than before. She winked at him playfully, mouthing, "Go get her, little tiger!"

His jaw dropped and hung open as his head quickly worked out what they meant.

_Damn it. _

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><p><strong>AN: **I had so much fun writing this :D I was literally jumping for joy when I was done! Please excuse the b-word. I couldn't really find any other word for it.

Oh, Len, you just _know _denial is the first step to love :3

To those who have read and are awaiting updates for _A Book, a Movie, a Feeling _and _Vocaloid __Alphabet_, you have no idea how guilty I am for doing this instead... I'm so sorry! :( I'll try to update when the plot bunnies come! In all truth, writer's block isn't really my problem... I've been trying to improve my writing style instead. Goodness, was I lying when I said I had severe writer's block?

Do leave a review to tell me what you think. Critiques are greatly appreciated :D

~Jelly-O


	2. Bargaining

**A/N: **Thank you so much for the support, guys! Hope this didn't take too long...

This will definitely get the ball rolling. Enjoy! :D

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><p>Len awoke to the sound of hearty laughter and gradually lifted his heavy eyelids of lead. The unfiltered sunlight poured into his eyes, and he had to blink several times to clear up his vision. The slight, occasional bump on the ground instantly reminded him where he was.<p>

"Wow, this view is just _amazing_!" He heard a high pitched squeal from beside him.

Len sighed heavily and frowned. Life would be a lot better without the rabbit. Heck, why did Lenka even want to bring her along in the first place?

"_And I… Will always love you…" _ A much lower, gruff voice sang in an off-key tune, eliciting a moan from the other two passengers.

Life would be a _whole lot _better without the rabbit _and _the clip-wearing freak.

"Are we there yet?" He asked impatiently, crossing his arms over his chest. Len felt a soft, wooly substance and realized that a blanket had been put on him.

Lenka turned from the front seat to him and smiled. "We're almost there. We have just a few miles left." She was obviously in a good mood, and was holding a fashion magazine in her hands. Her eyes suddenly locked on the blanket. "Oh, and that belongs to Rin. Isn't she generous?"

"Gross!" Len yelled, hurling the cloth at the girl, who immediately ceased her shouts of glee. "Geez, I think I'm already covered in rabbit germs," he added sarcastically, brushing imaginary dust off his shirt.

Rin gave him a death glare and snarled, "Look, I don't know what your problem is, but seriously, you're getting really annoying." Her hands were on her hips, and the look on her face said it all: I hate you to death!

"_You _were the one who decided to be annoying in the first place," Len countered, smirking. "_Wow, this view is just amazing!" _He mimicked in a falsetto voice, flailing his arms.

One of Rin's eyebrows cocked upwards. "Oh? It seems like someone's voice is girly."

"At least _I'm _not as high as you, chipmunk-rabbit."

"OK, guys, you really have to stop," Lenka intervened as Rinto swerved the car around a turn. She sighed dramatically and looked at her husband. "I give up; those two are impossible! Why don't you try?"

Rinto shrugged. "Not in this lifetime. I gave up two weeks ago," he laughed, peering at the mirror every now and then as the car headed uphill.

The four Kagamines were headed for a certain vacation villa Lenka had bought at the top of the mountain. Though they weren't there yet, one could already tell that the area was fantastic. The surrounding scenery consisted of pine trees and more hills in the distance, their tops covered with pure white snow. A lake could be seen far below, glittering in the rays of the sun.

They were all seated in Rinto's orange car, with the latter being the driver. Using Lenka's expensive limousine would attract too much attention and ruin the entire vacation. She was a celebrity, after all, and the news about her marriage had just leaked to the public. Showing up in front of the press would create total chaos.

Despite the fact that they were on a vacation, Len wondered why the couple weren't on their honeymoon anymore. It was strange, wanting the younger siblings to tag along a fortnight after the wedding.

As much as he was curious, he hated the trip at the same time.

Len had finally earned a good, long summer vacation after months of school, only to spend it with a lovey-dovey couple and a dumb rabbit. Instead of sleeping in, he was dragged out of his bed at six in the morning, a ridiculous time if he would call it. He wanted to relax, for God's sake, not stay at the villa!

Those weren't the only reasons he despised the trip. He searched the interior of the car for more hate-points.

One, the stupid rabbit was brought along. Len had supposedly failed to make a good impression on her, and somehow, a never-ending animosity formed between them. He didn't really mind hating her; he just wanted the immature animal to stay out of his way, period. Heck, they were even avoiding each other in the car, sitting far off to the opposite sides, using their bags as a "separation line".

Two, the radio was blasting at full volume, and Rinto was singing horribly to the English lyrics. He was off-key, too. He sounded like cross between a dying fish and a frog. Worse still, Lenka was cheering and rooting for him, urging him to sing even more. It made his ears want to bleed. He wanted to bleed to death, just to end it all.

Third, each time he looked in the rabbit's direction, he would take in almost_ every_ bit of detail. For some weird reason, she had decided to wear a spaghetti-strap top and a pair of very skimpy shorts. Her getup exposed her midriff and her legs. She wasn't as fat or as thin as Len imagined her to be. Rather, she was fit and had hidden muscles. He had seen her fling a heavy suitcase at Rinto for trying to get her to go on the trip. She was pretty mad at that time for being woken at seven.

Fourth, it was summer, and despite opening the windows to get decent ventilation (Lenka said something about getting smelly with air conditioner), the heat still traveled into the car, making everyone hot and sweaty. Lenka had put powder on herself; Rinto's blue shirt was darker in the armpit, back, and chest areas, soaked in sweat. Len himself was perspiring, and three of his shirt buttons were already undone. He preferred the air-conditioned indoors.

The fifth reason was the most agonizing. Every few minutes or so, he would see a bead of sweat form on the rabbit's forehead. It would travel down her face, then on her neck, which was exposed as her greasy hair was tied up. From her neck it would go down, down to her collarbone, and then onto her chest. Further down, down, till it disappeared into her top. Occasionally he would see some sweat rolling downwards from below her chest and down her stomach.

"Len, hey, are you listening?"

Rinto's voice interrupted his train of thought. He realized that he was staring at the rabbit herself. Len so badly wanted to claw his eyes out now. He turned to Rinto. "Sorry, what did you say?"

The man beckoned him to come closer. He then whispered very softly, "If you're gonna ogle at my sister, at least keep your jaw up." He was snickering the next second, but managed to keep the car in control.

Heat rushed to Len's face. "But I wasn't even looking!"

Rinto scoffed. "Well, _duh. _You were practically facing her, body and all, with that creepy rape face." He gasped dramatically. "Good thing she didn't notice… But, Lenny, that was very naughty of you, don't you think?" He wiggled his index finger up and down, laughing.

Len fumed. "But I—"

"We're here!" Lenka announced loudly, a big grin etched on her face. She, along with Rin, climbed out of the car, leaving Rinto and Len inside.

The stubborn boy refused to let the conversation slide. "Rinto, I assure you, I wasn't planning to rape your sister or anything." Hopefully, he'd get the point and leave him alone.

The man shrugged and let go of the steering wheel. "Except for the rape part… I wouldn't really mind if you wanted to hang out with Rin. Actually, I _urge _you to go for it." There was something different in his blue orbs as he made that statement. He seemed more… joyful, if that were even possible.

Len stared at him incredulously. Was he hearing right, or had the man lost his mind? He frowned and leaned forward, a dark aura in his eyes. "You know we hate each other. It's not possible in this lifetime to know her better. Didn't you see us at the wedding?"

"Yeah, I saw the 'O' look on your face after Rin caught the bouquet and after Lenka teased you," Rinto reasoned, locking his gaze with the obstinate teen, though still smiling. "And I _definitely _saw you blushing during—"

"It's impossible," Len cut him off, folding his arms over his chest. Based on his calculations, it was theoretically impossible. Didn't that thought ever enter that stubborn mind of his?

"Darling, are you coming or not?" Lenka called, waving her arm. She was holding on to yet another expensive object. The camera rested in her hands.

As the two got out, Rinto quickly added over his shoulder, "You keep telling yourself that, Len. Opposite poles will inevitably be pulled to each other, like magnets." Acting as if nothing had happened, he casually went over to Lenka, who immediately commenced picture-taking.

_I'm not even interested, _Len thought, not bothering to argue further. Rin had made it absolutely clear that she disliked him, and so did he. Why couldn't people just get the point? Did hating a person really lead to love? No, there was no way it could happen.

When he set his eyes on the happy-go-lucky rabbit again, though, he felt his cheeks burn intensely. Probably from the heat—

_Click._

"Oh, look! I've caught Lenny in the act!" Rinto exclaimed, laughing hysterically and slapping his forehead. Lenka peered at the image and giggled.

Len blanched and snapped.

"Give me that camera, you clip freak!"

* * *

><p>Though Len was raised in lavish care and in a luxurious background, he was impressed with the simple, yet refined furnishing of the villa. The objects could be cheaply bought at a common store, yet the arrangement made it all the more cozy and welcoming.<p>

It was two levels high, and had at least six rooms. Beyond the wooden table and chairs on the porch was a classy living room. It had a spotless white rug, a few black couches and a large television which was securely hung on the wall. There was a large glass sliding door to the outdoors, providing an excellent view.

Len had barely registered all the details of the villa when he noticed Rin entering one of the rooms. Overly-excited squealing followed, and a panting rabbit would dash out, calling for her brother and his wife to "take a look!"

As much as Len wanted to deny it and label her as immature, he couldn't help but think that her reaction to the place was sort of… cute.

Well, it was a _Kagamine _villa, what did she expect?

Wait… Since when were slut-like rabbits even cute? Why the hell was he even thinking like that? The germs had likely infected his head now…

"Is anyone home?" Lenka murmured into his ear, bringing him to his senses. She gave him a concerned look. "Lenny, you've been spacing out a lot lately. Are you OK?" She reached up (he was still a bit taller) and ruffled his bangs playfully, causing him to growl jokingly. "That's better!" She smiled warmly.

"Thanks, I needed that." He chuckled and flattened his hair.

"No problem."

* * *

><p>Rin entered yet another room and squealed once again, this time with much more enthusiasm and joy. She rushed over to the bed and leapt into it gleefully.<p>

Everything inside was an orange color—and she loved it. Plus, it was on the second level, with a glass door and a wide balcony overlooking the mountain. Even the walls were a pale vermillion. Not to mention the orange fruit-themed items, like the floor lamp and the pillows. It was like the room had been made just for her.

"Oh, yes!" She said, digging her face into a pillow. Even the cushions smelled like oranges.

"Glad you like it." Rinto was leaning on the doorway, smiling as his sister sighed in content. "It was hard to get all this stuff into one room. Lenka was so picky with the arrangement! You should've seen her; she was scurrying around the store like a crazed hamster!"

Rin giggled childishly. "So you're saying this room was really made for me?" She let out an "ah!" when she found an amber perfume bottle in the dresser. "Whoa, is this made by Voca Scent? That's costs a bomb!"

"Lenka went on a badass shopping spree," Rinto explained. "She wanted to buy you a gift… And she bought you an entire room." He motioned vaguely around the place.

Rin smiled. Forming a good relationship with Lenka wasn't so bad after all. She didn't act like those stingy celebrities that swam in their cash. She was an angel. An angel with a truckload of money, that is.

She wondered what the Jerk's room looked like. She sniggered as she thought of yellow walls, and perhaps a banana bolster on the pale yellow bed. Not that she was a pervert or anything, but bananas were… She had learned much from her older brother after she turned thirteen.

For the moment, though, she would just enjoy lying in her bed and snuggling with her pillow. Oh, how good it smelled…

"If you wanna eat, you can just order pizza, cook, or dine at the nearby town downhill." Rinto pointed to a catalogue and map on a fruit-patterned table. "Lenka and I have to handle some work, so be good while we're away, alright?"

Rin immediately sat upright. "Wait, you mean you're going to leave me and the Jerk _alone _in this place?" She questioned, though it came out more like a drop of venom. Rinto noted her tense frame and clenching fists.

He had to choose his words carefully. "Well, yes, because we're still on honeymoon, so—"

"That's it! I'm leaving!" Rin stormed towards the exit furiously and purposely bumped him on the way out. It hurt a little.

"Wait, Rinnie—"

"I am _not _going to spend my precious summer vacation with a sarcastic, leech-faced _idiot_!" She screamed in his face. Rinto flinched at the sound. She had always been quite the toddler. She was pretty frightening to look at with bloodshot eyes, too.

At the same time, both could hear Len yelling, "I'm not staying here with that bitch!" from the next room, and Lenka saying something like, "Handle your stupid ego" and "Be a man!" They could even hear her snarling, "Suck up those sissy balls of yours."

On first glance, the rich Kagamine siblings seemed to get along really well. But at times like these, when there were issues to be sorted out, the two would grow ferocious to each other. Thankfully, these little fights were temporary, and only occurred when they were uneven.

Unfortunately, though, this wasn't the case. Lenka obviously had enough of Len's "Rin-allergic" attitude, and was trying to iron out the folds and creases with a head-on frontal attack. Len, being unable to suck up his pride, wouldn't allow corrections in himself.

At least, this was what Rinto could see.

His sister was already gathering her belongings at the living room, and he hurried over. There was only one way to get the stubborn girl to give in.

"Rin, how about I do all of your summer homework, plus a crate of oranges?" He offered, hoping she wouldn't notice the beads of nervous sweat rolling down his chin. He stared at her solemnly to prove his point.

She hesitated for a moment, frowning in deep thought, before adding, "Make it _two _crates of oranges." Since when did she handle business so well? Hmm, maybe two crates were affordable enough, opposed to how much he consumed…

"Alright," Rinto sighed, prying his sister's hands from her luggage. "You'll get them in no time. Till then, you'll have to put up with him, OK?" He had to admit that Len had some odd issues, but Rin's approval was essential. He had a greater plan to keep.

"You are _so not _sending me to school." Len's voice echoed from upstairs. One could literally feel the scowl in his words.

"Yes I am, and I _can_," Lenka replied in a firm, bossy tone. "I'll send you there if you try to resist." This was one of the reasons why he had chosen to marry her. She seemed fragile at first glance, but was a very strong person. What more could he ever want?

"Sent to school?" Rin asked, scratching her head thoughtfully. "He doesn't go to school at all?"

"Well, he's been home-schooled all this time, so going there would be a pretty big shock." He could almost sympathize with the boy as he said so.

"No wonder he's such a jerk," Rin's lips thinned and she shook her head. "He's so antisocial!"

Rinto shot her a glare, and she shut up instantly. Len wasn't the only one with the issues, as far as he was concerned.

The two continued to bargain with each other upstairs. Len kept going on about "money spent" and "privacy of home", with his sister shooting back with a lengthy mass of incomprehensible words. It was probably something she had learnt from her temporary enrollment in law school.

Eventually, though, both came down. Lenka had a surprisingly convincing smile while the junior had his head bowed in humiliation, probably in some sort of depression. It was clear who the winner was. The boy was no match for a persuasive, determined woman. Both wondered what she had told him.

"Shall we go then?" Lenka chirped, latching onto her husband's arm. She waved at Rin, who painfully forced a wry smile on her lips.

"We'll drop by once in a while," Rinto assured as the teens eyed each other warily. "Oh, and Len…" He winked and pointed a finger at him. "Be good!" Jovial as he was, he started to laugh again, only to be stopped by his pouting wife. "Bye, Rinnie! Remember not to overeat! Don't drink and drive—"

"Honey, she's _seventeen,_" Lenka said, punching his arm lightly. "She doesn't drink till she's eighteen. You know that!"

"That's _exactly _why I'm worried! It's only a year away—"

"Oh, hush up. We have things to do. Let's go."

With that, the front door opened and the whirring of the car engine sounded not much later. From the windows, Rin noticed that the couple was _laughing _like a pair of drunkards, before they turned to coolly wave goodbye. They had definitely planned something…

"Now what do we do?" She moaned exasperatedly, looking away from Len, who did likewise. What did she ever do to make him treat her like this? She didn't act like a wannabe supermodel at the wedding, so what was it?

"Now, we go back to our rooms…" Len's voice was rising with anger each second. "…And pretend the other doesn't exist!" He was practically shouting in her face, something Lenka would whack him for later. It wasn't even fair. Why did she take sides with the girl all the time?

She wasn't intimidated at all, and frowned at him, her hands on her hips. "Yeah, that sounds like an _awesome _plan!" She responded strongly. The Jerk flinched slightly at her response, likely unprepared. She scoffed and headed for the stairs. "I'm gonna do just that, so I don't spread my 'germs' to you!" With that, the orange door slammed loudly.

"How nice for you to keep your bacteria to yourself," Len growled as he stomped to the basement room. Like the orange door, this door slammed violently as well, followed by a little _click _of the lock. He wasn't going to be coming out for a long time.

"He drives me nuts!" Rin screamed, chucking a pillow at the wall. Her nostrils flared with each labored breath she took. Even her bow appeared agitated, standing upright on end as she continued to rant angrily, until she caught sight of the cordless phone placed on the table together with the catalogue.

Curiously, she fiddled with it for a while, before exclaiming "I've got it!" and dialing a certain number. "I think I can bring her over, it wouldn't kill that jackass if one person came to visit." She giggled as the dial tone beeped faintly, awaiting the recipient.

She was unaware that Len was also doing the same thing, patiently waiting for a long-time friend to pick up. His yellow phone beeped continuously before a _click _echoed from the other end. Surprisingly, Rin's recipient answered at the very moment.

"_Hello? This is Hatsune Residence. How may I help you?"_

"_Master Len, is that you? Yes, yes, yes… I beg your pardon? You want me to _what_?"_

Both teens laughed and yelled back in perfect sync, "Get your lazy ass over here, pronto!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** This time, Len isn't in denial. They really hate each other X0 But that'll change in a couple of chapters. Lenka and Rinto are really sly, aren't they? I was laughing while writing the "caught in the act" part. Oh, Rinto, you.

And again, thanks for all the support you've given me, fellow readers and writers! I know it's a tad bit early, but I'll give you guys a quick teaser...

.

.

_Realizing what he was doing, he immediately pulled away, causing her frame to tremble against his touch. He hated to admit it, but he knew he had fallen for her. How would she feel about this, though? The way she responded to his lips... She probably liked it too._

.

.

Heheh, I'm so naughty. Just think of it as a little gift from me for all the reviews and alerts! This will probably happen in (much) later chapters. Do you wanna guess who the 'two friends' are? I think 'Hatsune' is already a big hint ;D

Hope I didn't disappoint you guys with this chappie! Jelly bless you, and happy holidays!

~Jelly-O


	3. Excellent Timing

_Author's note _

I'm so sorry this took so long! You can punch me now ;_;

Warning! Len uses quite a few profanities here. If you don't deal well with curse words, you can censor them with your own words. (eg. Blueberry, Fudge)

Enjoy! :3

* * *

><p><em>Three<em>

_**Excellent Timing**  
><em>

* * *

><p>"How the heck did this happen?" Rin asked.<p>

The three other people at the dining table turned to her, looking equally puzzled. One was a dear friend of hers she had called over last night; another was an enigmatic buddy of the jerk's, and the last… that didn't need saying (or wasn't even _worth_ mentioning). Silence spread for a few moments before everyone awkwardly went back to eating their meals. Rin sighed—the tension was driving her up the wall, and it was horribly suffocating. It wouldn't take long for her to suddenly burst out laughing from nervousness.

Wait… she wasn't even going to do that with the asshole in close range.

"Just so you know," her friend spoke up meekly, "it feels weird here 'coz of… _that_." She glanced at her and Len for a second and set her gaze back on her plate of food.

Rin felt herself go hot from embarrassment. Len coughed from across the table, choking on his meal, while the young man snickered.

She and her enemy had called for help from their closest contact the night before, not knowing that they'd done it at the exact same time and that both friends would come to the villa together the next morning. The chances were one in a billion, but it had happened. How were they supposed know that the two would walk in at the most dreadful moment possible, when they were in the middle of an argument over who would cook breakfast?

What were they supposed to say when their friends walked into the kitchen right after the dickhead had toppled over his two left feet and obstinately held on to the frying pan, shoving her against the table and landing on top of her? How the _hell _could they even explain that?

…The situation was most compromising nonetheless. Her friend had screamed "Hallelujah! Rinnie finally got a boyfriend!" and snapped a photo with her phone. Len's companion did nothing to help and turned his back to them, probably shaking from laughter. Rin had to yell into the boy's face before he got off and swiped the pan away from her, declaring victory.

(It was snatched from him a beat later and was hit on the head by it. The reason provided by his buddy being, "That's not how you treat a lady.")

"Anyways, I don't think we've done proper introductions yet, who wants to start first?" Rin's friend piped up after a while. No one uttered a word, and she went ahead cheerfully, "My name's Miku Hatsune and I am the daughter of Michihito Hatsune, the founder of the Voca Scent Company for perfumes and cosmetics, I met Rinnie in high school, by the way." She hugged Rin who smiled with amusement.

Len and his friend's jaws dropped at the famous name. "Wow, I never thought Miss Rin would have a celebrity friend." Miku grinned and Rin nodded bashfully.

"It's my turn then. I am Yuuma Miyamoto, a servant under the Kagamine family, Len's personal butler, _and _the one who cooked the scrumptious brunch we're eating right now." He chuckled. Rin and Miku couldn't help but laugh along.

"We know that already," Len snapped, viciously stabbing his potato.

"Please show more manners, Master," Yuuma scolded, shaking his head. "Miss Lenka would not have liked to see this, especially in the presence of the groom's sibling." Len ignored him and stabbed more holes into his food, as if daring the butler to threaten him. "Miss Lenka also told me that Miss Rin had caught the bouquet, does that not mean something to you?"

_Clank! _Len's fork had hit the bottom of the plate. He glared at Yuuma intensely from under his bangs. "Shut the hell up or you're fired," he snarled.

Yuuma raised his hands in surrender and sighed.

Rin contemplated her choice of actions. Though she hated to admit it, the aura the jerk was emitting had jolted her a little. It wasn't like the normal 'I'll send you to the middle of next week' aura he usually gave off when clashing with her. Rather, it was more like 'I'll saw your head off if you don't do as I say, and I'm not joking.' She had never really thought about it, but now she could see how menacing he could be.

_Nah, I can handle him with a simple kick in the crotch, _Rin said to herself calmly.

Besides, there was something—she didn't know what—that assured her that the jerk would never show her that sort of attitude.

* * *

><p>Miku could've squealed the entire morning, but that would ruin her voice. And she liked to sing, so she dropped the idea.<p>

The tomboyish blonde girl had grown a gazillion times cuter than before. She only had a phone and social networking site to communicate with Rin since her own graduation from high school two years ago due to her numerous activities as a celebrity. Needless to say, she was over the moon when she finally picked up a call to hear her best friend, and all the more elated to be able to spend summer vacation with her at the secluded, tranquil villa. Normally, her manager would've picked up the phone and slammed it back down on whoever was trying to call for non-business matters, and she hardly had any breaks aside from the one-day 'holidays' her father gave her once in a while.

She was lucky to pick up the call that night, when her manager had long gone home and when she was in her room ready to sleep. She had her things packed in a jiffy and had her driver send her to the nearest train station—under a bribe of a thousand dollars that he wouldn't tell on her, of course. She found Yuuma driving in a little silver car by pure chance after walking down the same street twice and agreed to go together with him. The villa was so much further than she'd expected.

Lifting a hand to cover her too-wide grin, Miku giggled softly. In fact, she was supposed to be at work today, filming the new perfume commercial right now. But she had escaped, and no way was she going to turn back. She wasn't going to give up her new freedom so easily.

It was so much more fun here, after all.

She was especially proud of the skills she had developed after years in the business. She had encountered so many varieties of people for so long; she could with almost no effort, read people as easily as a book. Hot-tempered types, mellow types, energetic types… she could see them all with just a minute or so of observation.

How long had they all been at the dining table, half an hour? Miku found Yuuma a little bit too difficult to decipher. He had a well-built friendly façade like that of any other high class servant, but she didn't know him personally enough to figure him out just yet, like her own servants at home. He was really handsome though. Who else could get that jet black hair without dye? Gosh, he was _gorgeous. _If he wasn't a butler, she would've… no, she had to focus. She was here for Rinnie, not to meet some hunk.

Rin had changed vastly from two years ago. She was much tougher now after all the training and reckless stunts with her older brother. The harmful gossip and broken boy-girl relationships that hurt her so much then were now just dust on her shoulder. She was sexier too. After all the time at the gym, she had developed curves that couldn't be years ago, and she was now brimming with confidence. Miku wanted to hug her again for improving so much.

The scene they walked into earlier was absolutely hilarious. The blonde teens were on the tabletop, Rin being squashed by the boy as they screamed at each other for the frying pan and the right to cook. According to Rinnie, she had been trying to pry the pan from the 'jerk' (that was the default nickname, Miku guessed) when he tripped over a slipper and landed on her after she hit the table. Truth be told, she was somewhat disappointed when she discovered that the boy wasn't Rinnie's boyfriend; they would've made a good match.

Miku realized she was smiling again at the thought and quickly hid it by playing with her long hair.

So… why weren't they together? It was crystal clear to her eyes that the boy had an attraction to Rinnie, but was trying to cover it up as hate. She actually pitied him—he was so… confused and anxious about his own emotions. Perhaps it was his first time having a crush? The more she looked at him, the less likely that seemed to be the case. From the way he fiddled with his short ponytail and how he held his things, he might have been in a relationship before… but Miku wasn't so sure. She needed more time.

Rinnie on the other hand… she disliked him very much. It was funny but understandable. Which girl would, after all, like a boy who was an asshole to them? Rinnie wasn't the type. There was something else she could see though. It was like she was still trying to give him a second chance. Her best friend was a generous, kind fellow that way; an aspect of her she loved the most. She was so forgiving.

"Stop making those tapping sounds, you dope! It's freaking irritating!"

"Don't tell me what to do, dumb animal!"

…Or not.

Wait, did he just say 'rabbit'?

Miku erupted with laughter.

Rin eyed her skeptically. "You okay, girl?" Len was mirroring the same level of bewilderment. Yuuma had given up snorting was even chuckling with her.

The teal haired girl found herself too tongue-tied to even make a sound. Her stomach hurt and tears streamed from her eyes.

_They are a perfect match after all, no doubt about it! All they need is a mutual understanding, and I'm going to fix that!_

* * *

><p>"Ew, look at these rags! I thought I gave you much better clothes than these, Rinnie! What's going on in that head of yours?" Miku made a face as she pulled out her friend's clothing out of the closet and luggage. "Rags, rags, and more rags…" She mumbled as she counted each article.<p>

Rin was leaning against the door drame, frowing. "I would appreciate if you didn't equate my brother's shirts to trash, thank you."

"But Rinnie, they _are _trash!" Miku huffed indignantly. "Girls aren't supposed to wear their older brothers' huge gorilla-sized shirts. I mean, they make you look like a sack of air or something! Ugh, gross!" She exclaimed as she pulled out another grey shirt and tossed it over her shoulder.

"Hey, don't just throw them out like that! They're comfortable!"

"No, they're too ugly!"

"Well, what do you expect me to wear then? I've pretty much grown out of all the clothes you've given me."

Miku froze. "You did… all those skirts, dresses and blouses, _all _of them?" She sprang up and bounced to Rin, patting her head. "Wow, you're taller than me now! And you've got womanly curves! That's so awesome!" She jabbed her in the ribs as she said so. Rin squeaked and stepped back, giggling.

"So what're you going to do now? Lend me more clothes? You've practically thrashed my entire luggage and I've only got two other tank tops plus the shorts I'm wearing now." Rin said.

"Nope, 'coz I only brought a limited supply this time. But…" Rin felt a chill travel up her spine as Miku's eyes sparkled. "We're going shopping!"

* * *

><p>"Geez, girls these days," Len grumbled as he slid into the car. "Why can't I sit at the front? I can't stand sitting next to this rabbit." He smirked as Rin scowled.<p>

Miku beamed at him. "Deal with it, Lenny! You'll get used to her eventually. You have to." Her last sentence sounded a bit too strained to pass off as pleasant. Her smile never wavered.

"…Fine." Len growled. This Hatsune girl, to his dismay, acted and bossed around like his sister—except that he didn't like odd, blue (or was it really blue?) haired versions of Lenka. Seriously, what was she, a human coloring book? And that perfume… he almost died gagging on it. She was even freakier than the gay-clip-wearing-orange guy. Her lunch plate had been covered with mostly leeks, and he didn't even like leeks.

The rabbit seemed to be as equally pissed off as he was. What happened? Len knew that she directed most of his resentment at him, but this felt a little different, maybe _too_ different for his liking.

Speaking of which, what was she wearing?

The sleeveless top and khaki shorts he was used to seeing had been replaced by a one-piece dress. The hem of the skirt was just a little above her knee and hell, where did those shiny bracelets come from? The ridiculous bow was missing too, and a flower clip was in its place.

He managed to catch some words in his throat—in a nick of time—and realized he had almost said something about her sudden change in attire.

Len shook his head frantically.

"There's a convenience store right up ahead and a town after that," Yuuma said, revving up the engine. "I hear that Miss Miku is quite famous there. Should I make a detour so no one will see us?"

Miku shrugged. "Just ignore them and all will be well! And drop the 'Miss', please—I'm getting quite tired of it," She said dryly.

Yuuma looked at her for a moment, dumbfounded. After much hesitation and reluctance he finally uttered, "Very well, _Miku_." The girl blushed.

Rin piped up, "Oh, so only now you notice he's been using formalities? I thought you were better than that, Miku!"

"G-go away!"

The blonde and Yuuma laughed as Miku sulked.

Len fought the urge to join them in the conversation. He rolled his eyes and stared at the scenery outside. Where and who did they inherit their stupidity from? The damn girl was nineteen, for heaven's sake! Why wasn't she acting like one? He pinched his nose in frustration and brooded. His butler wasn't living up to his expectations either. For one, he would _never_ drop formalities. What the hellhad gone wrong with their genetics?

He could see the rabbit move from the corner of his vision. She wasn't wearing a bow anymore, so what should he call her now that the name Rabbit was no longer applicable? No way in _hell _would he dare use her real name, and Commoner was far too lengthy and bothersome. Geez, the stupid girl had to get rid of her stupid accessory and give him problems. She was trying to make his life more difficult? Fine, then he'd give her a taste of her own medicine.

_She looks kinda cute without it though._

God dammit! Len knocked his head with his knuckles and glared at his reflection in the car window. _Why don't you just shut the hell up and leave me alone, _he snapped at the image.

_Why don't you just get along with her and use her name already; it's _Rin _by the way, _it sneered back. Len slammed his head into the thick glass and squeezed his eyes closed. The fact that the… _girl _was so close to him wasn't making him feel any better.

(Well, technically they were sitting on the opposite sides as much as possible, using their bags as a barrier between them. No, their bags weren't even touching.)

He noticed Miku looking at the two of them and immediately assumed his frown. "What? We're not a show or something." Miku shook her head, her smile dropping by a fraction.

"It's just that… why don't you guys sit a little closer? It's uncomfortable on the sides, you know?"

"_No, _I'm fine sitting here." Both answered in perfect sync. Len glared at her.

"Stop copying me!"

"_Me? _You're the one mimicking me, barbaric monkey!"

Huh, that was a new one. "You're so annoying; I almost thought you were a woodpecker."

"Why you—"

"Guys, _guys_," Miku interrupted. "I-ignore what I said just now and continue being grumpy, okay? Without fighting, if you will."

Still synchronized, both blondes retreated. Rin went back to playing around with Miku's phone and Len faced his reflection once more. This time it was laughing hysterically. He almost wanted to slap the glass to get rid of the image.

_I am really going to kill you if you keep that up._

_Try me._

_Maybe I will._

* * *

><p>"Gosh, I'm starving after all that. I'm wanna eat those really long, fresh sandwiches like… oh! They have an outlet there, awesome! Let's go, let's go!"<p>

"Wait! I'm still in the changing room. Darn it, Miku!" Rin yelled, scrambling into her clothes. She lost her footing and tripped over a pile of jeans, crashing face-first into the mirror. "I hate this!" She screamed as she finally got around to fastening her new flower clip. "Miku, get back here right now!"

"I'm afraid she's already digging into the sandwiches." Rin stiffened in alarm, but relaxed as she figured the owner of the voice. "Mi—Rin, are you alright? Do you need help?" So he really decided to drop the formalities as he said. Rin grinned; it would take a while for her to get used to his nasally voice, though.

"I-I'm fine. Thanks a bunch, Yuuma."

She heard a low chuckle and saw his shadow shift slightly. "I'll help with these bags then. I must say, I'm quite impressed how your friend has so much energy even after going through seven shops and almost sixty pieces of clothing for you." He said. "And perhaps I find her to my liking. Just saying," he added quickly.

Rin paused, not fully understanding the second part. "Well, almost every girl is like this. I don't know how they do it, and I don't want to know either. She'll be the death of me."

"So you're part of the minority who hates shopping and likes wrestling?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

Yuuma chortled as she emerged from the changing room. "Relax; if you're already like this, I'm sure Master Len is a hundred times worse." He smiled softly as he guided her out of the shop.

"You have a point."

Miku was too busily munching on her food to notice them as they arrived. The airhead glanced up, his lips in a strict thin line. "What took you idiots so long? This girl almost became obese."

"You two were just too hasty," Yuuma replied calmly. The dolt seemed to grow even more agitated.

"I'm not fat in the first place," Miku mumbled hotly through a mouthful of food. "If anger were a food, you would be a hundred kilos, so there."

"Shut up, blue freak."

"I can't shut up when I'm eating, so how about you shut up for once? You've been asking us to do that a lot lately," Miku challenged.

"Bring it on, bitch."

Strangely, Rin found this highly entertaining. It was hard not to burst into a fit of laughter when a mischievous ever-smiling girl and a supremely furious boy were locked in an almost comical staring contest. Neither of them blinked as she and Yuuma sat down. The butler held the same amused expression as she did.

"Ow." Len blinked.

"I win!" Miku shouted triumphantly, jabbing a finger in his face. "So _shut up_!"

"I hate you!"

"Love you too." The teal haired star blew a kiss at the extremely infuriated boy.

Rin patted her friend's head. "You're the best! What would I ever do without you, girl?"

Miku snickered, eyes still glinting. "You could still kick him down there." The two girls giggled in unison.

"What!" Len slammed his fist onto the table and turned to Yuuma. "Why don't you ever say anything? These girls are seriously plotting to kill me! Whose side are you on, huh?" His hairs seemed to be standing from electrocution as he yelled. The butler on the other hand, remained unfazed and coolly rebutted each of his master's complaints. From a distance, it appeared to be a father admonishing his spoiled son in the gentlest way possible. The boy finally slumped onto the table, groaning.

Rin rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Lenka's so much more dignified and respectful than you are. You should look up to her and follow her example for once. It might do you some good, if not a little." She sunk her teeth into a ham sandwich and eyed her nemesis cautiously as he ate his food wordlessly. Was it just her, or was there bloody murder in his eyes…?

Yuuma shifted uncomfortably. "Well, at least we haven't been approached by strangers yet, considering how popular Miku is." The girl perked up at the sound of her name and gulped down another piece of sandwich, nodding.

"No worries! We just have one shop left to go, and then we'll skedaddle out of here before anyone notices. To be honest, I don't quite like being outside without my bodyguards either. I feel sort of bare."

"We know," The jerk said.

Miku leaned over the table. "You okay? It's not like you're so insulted that you're all withdrawn now, right?" She spoke too fast this time and her intertwining fingers gave her nervousness away. As she tried to pat the blonde on the head, he shot up off the table.

"Don't touch me."

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry." Miku pulled her hands back and said nothing more. Even Yuuma seemed off balance now, his eyes flitting from Len and the girls.

Rin couldn't find any words to speak with. It was as if the pressure had risen so high it had choked everyone into silence. She could feel a familiar heated gaze drilling holes in her. It seemed as though the more she tried to avoid his glare, the more it seeped into her. When she finally took a second to glance at him, she couldn't bring herself to shy away.

The dork's expression was not one of clear distinct fury, as depicted in the novels she had read. He was almost expressionless, lips still in a line. His body language told a very different tale though; his fists were clenched so tight his fingertips were a bright scarlet and his knuckles ghostly white. Rin shivered.

"Want to know what I think?" His voice was eerily deep, but she could still pick up bits of hatred. "I think my sister should never have married your brother in the first place. I mean, look, we obviously don't get along. If we don't, I think the couple will eventually fall apart too. Then Lenka can find some other nice guy who doesn't treat me like a child, someone who doesn't wear those_ gay hairclips! _Also, you're the biggest, nastiest bitch I've ever met. All I'm trying to do is bring my beloved sister back to her senses before it's too late, and you're there annoying the hell out of me, because you 'hate me'! Well, guess what? You're in for a treat today, because I hate you too! I despise everything; your damn childish ribbon, your slutty clothes, everything! You all are an insult to our name Kagamine, and I hope your stinking family dies in the apocalypse!"

"That's enough!" Yuuma boomed, startling the boy enough to restrain him. "You have no right to decide who your sister marries; neither do you have the right to insult her husband or his family! If Miss Lenka and your own folks were here, they would probably disown you. As your immediate guardian, I demand that this behavior stop at once!"

Miku was trembling from the sudden outburst. They had gathered a fair bit of attention too.

"Then let them disown me, anything to separate me and this bitch!"

"Be quiet!"

"It's okay," Rin said.

Once more, muteness fell upon the four. Miku stared at the table, her lips quivering. Rin's eyes were set firmly on Len, who stared right back with fury, and Yuuma wore a look of pure confoundedness.

"It's okay," Rin repeated.

"Rin, you don't have to—"

"Nah, it's perfectly fine. I was expecting that, actually. With that attitude of his, I doubt if he's even Lenka's brother."

_Blam! _Len crashed his palms onto the table and got up without argument. Yuuma scrambled to his feet. "You don't have to take it personally, Master! Please, just listen—"

"Fuck off!" Len roared.

"…I'll show you the way back to the car, Sir." Yuuma turned to them and motioned for them to follow, shaking his head sadly. "My apologies, but I'm afraid we have to go back."

Miku opened her mouth to retort, but closed it with a whimper. Grabbing her friend's hand, she trailed after the two, her eyes glued to the front as if too afraid to glance back.

Rin felt herself go completely numb, oblivious to the wavering voice of Miku as she asked if she was alright, oblivious to the sounds of people whispering conspiringly as Miku passed them, oblivious to the sounds of the car engine starting up, as well as the bumps of the road as they sped back to the villa.

_I'd just taken an insult_ _directed at me and my family. I'd just taken an insult and done nothing about it._

_I'd just insulted Len. I said I doubted his relation to Lenka. I'd just insulted him and he did nothing about it._

_I don't know what to do._

* * *

><p>The jerk didn't bother to acknowledge her the entire ride back. He didn't do so even till they had dinner and quit it for the night. It was as if she was nonexistent to him.<p>

_I should be delighted—floating on cloud nine like I'd received a thousand oranges for free._

_But… this feels awful, somehow._

_What did I do?_

_What do I do?_

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note 2<em>

Everyone has a breaking point. And believe me, Len has an extremely short temper in this story XD But that'll definitely change, 'coz there's a certain someone who will teach him the art of tolerance. (Well, you guys already know who I'm referring to!)

To those Miku/Mikuo, Miku/Kaito and Miku/XxX fans: I'm sorry if I disappointed you. I didn't want everyone to be paired up with their genderbends, 'coz the story already has a pairing like that (if not including Rin/Len). Miku/Yuuma fics are quite rare, so I decided to give it a try. If anyone's asking about Roro/66, the other VY2, I have one thing to say: expect the unexpected!

Oh, and since I'm sensitive to tiny details... When Rin said that Miku had trashed her entire luggage, she wasn't including underwear and other stuff like toothbrushes, first aid kit (yes, Rin carries one), etc. Just the clothes. But Miku probably went ahead and bought her sexy, lacy lingerie XD It's up to you readers how you want to see it.

I'm not dead. Just... really slow when updating. My apologies ._.

Till next time!

_~TouchPen_


	4. Confrontation

_Four_

**_Confrontation_**

_(...well, sort of)_

* * *

><p>The memory of Len's outburst the day before had affixed itself onto Rin's mind like an unpleasant layer of sweat on skin. Yuuma, being the gentleman he was, had told her not to waste her time and energy pondering over the situation with the reason "boys forget these things rather quickly". Despite his advice and Miku's almost-successful antics to perk her up, Rin found it impossible to shove the thoughts away. On one hand, she felt that Len's infuriated lashing was natural as they had been at each other's throats for a while. On the other hand, however…<p>

It was just plain odd to her. Perhaps that was why she couldn't accept just leaving the matter as it was.

After a simple dinner, the hotheaded boy had left the table without uttering a word. That was completely normal, given his warped personality. She only grew curious when Miku and Yuuma conveniently excused themselves to talk on the porch. Scratch that, they weren't even talking, but _whispering_. She stood up immediately when she heard Miku gasp in astonishment.

"Hey, what's up?" she had asked. Her best friend's face had lost a bit of color.

Instead of an answer, Miku turned to Yuuma and the two had what seemed to be an eye-to-eye, telepathic conversation. Rin's interest was established when Yuuma shook his head and Miku replied with "oh, it's nothing! Don't worry about it!"

_Just what the hell is going on?_

* * *

><p>"Miku, this is driving me nuts!" Rin whined over lunch. The whole time, from what she saw, it seemed like the two were exchanging information with the curt nod, glance and smile. Throughout, neither of them had called on her to discuss whatever they had in mind. She was being kept in the dark, and it was vexing her.<p>

The said girl put her utensils down and looked at her innocently. "Why, is something wrong?"

"You and Yuuma were talking about something last night…?" Rin suggested.

"It's really nothing to worry about, Rinnie," Miku insisted, shaking her head.

"Indeed," Yuuma murmured from across the table as he took a bite of his sandwich.

Rin suspiciously scrutinized her best friend. "Is it… something you can't tell me?" Miku's acting was reputable enough to make her doubt her own thoughts.

Her façade could only hold for so long. "That's not true, Rinnie! I can share anything with my best girlfriend," Miku blurted carelessly. She seemed insulted by the question.

"Then tell me what this is all about," Rin demanded hotly.

"Miss Rin," Yuuma interrupted, "your friend does trust you, but this is a special case, especially because…" The butler cut himself off, as though he was about to trip over exposed wire.

Rin slammed her palms on the table and stood up. "Do you think I'm some kid who can't hear bad words or something?! I'm seventeen, for goodness' sake!"

Neither Miku nor Yuuma offered a response. They consulted each other again with the same wordless conversation, looking panicked.

Miku was the more concerned of the two. "Should we tell her after all?" She asked Yuuma meekly.

Yuuma stared at Rin's eyes. Rin froze and glared back to prove herself. After a moment, the butler said, "no, not right now."

"Screw you!" Rin screamed. She snatched a piece of bread from her plate and hurled it directly at Yuuma and stormed out of the kitchen before she could see him catch it.

Miku sighed morosely. "Now we have two angry teenagers to take care of."

* * *

><p>Rin figured that her friend would know less about the situation, so she decided to try her luck and pester Yuuma, the man who knew Len inside-out, instead. She took care to bring her soiled laundry with her to the basement where he was busily folding up a batch of yellow shirts. To her dismay, it didn't take long for him to feel her presence.<p>

"Hello there, Rin," Yuuma greeted. "Are you feeling better?"

He was referring to her tantrum at lunchtime. Rin blushed in embarrassment. "Well, yeah. I guess…" She set her clothes down on the counter and opened up the washing machine. Hopefully she would be able to set him at ease, at least enough to discover what they were trying so hard to keep quiet about.

"Allow me," Yuuma said.

"Huh?"

He picked up her laundry and set up the wash cycle in a flourish.

"Uhh, thanks," Rin mumbled shyly. She was suddenly conscious of her inability to operate the appliance. He didn't say a word when she started on folding up Miku's freshly-dried articles. It seemed like Yuuma had, in fact, completely avoided them, judging from how much there was compared to his employer's.

They both kept silent; one person was engrossed in the task at hand and the other was busy attempting to look occupied. To Rin, the low hum of the washing machine seemed to stretch on for ages.

She finally spoke up and asked, "Yuuma?"

"Yes, how may I help you?" He was studying her face. Rin chose not to give herself away.

"… Sorry about the bread."

The black-haired man nodded. "No worries."

Rin let out a long groan and threw her arms in the air. "Why is it so awkward down here anyway?!"

"I believe it was caused by a flying loaf."

Rin lightly punched his arm. "Hey, I already apologized for that!" They both laughed.

"So…" Yuuma cleared his throat. "What are you here for?"

"Wha— no, I just came to get my clothes washed. There's never enough, right?" Rin hastily denied. She had been fooled by his placid demeanor. He was eerily sharp.

Yuuma raised an eyebrow. "Really? Your friend took care to mention that you were lax with house chores."

"Damn you, Yuuma," Rin sighed. "What else did Miku tell you?"

To her increased annoyance, he shrugged nonchalantly.

"Well?" Rin crossed her arms. "You know why I'm here."

It was Yuuma's turn to sigh. "Like I mentioned before, Rin, I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

He didn't answer.

Rin suddenly felt the need to seize his neck and begin strangling him. She let her nails dig into her palms. "Give me a hint or something, _anything_. Is… is it related to _him_?"

Yuuma stroked his chin. "Well, it is linked to Master Len, if that's what you're asking."

Rin blinked. "Hold on, what do you mean exact—" Yuuma had gone back to folding up the shirts, as if to tell her not to probe further. "Seriously? He's the guy and I'm supposed to do the job of going after him?"

"_If you do, you'll be the first, and he'll be after you like a lovesick drunkard_."

"Huh? Did you say something?"

Yuuma smiled. "No, not at all."

* * *

><p>"Miku!"<p>

The teal haired girl clumsily caught her makeup case in her hands before it hit the floor. "W-what?"

Rin barged into the bathroom. "What did you tell Yuuma?"

Miku's eyes widened. She turned away and continued applying beige powder on her face.

"He told me that you told him, that I hate chores."

"Oh, _whoops_," Miku tittered sheepishly. "He was being so nice and handsome and all, and before I knew it, I told him a ton of stuff."

"So he's nice and handsome… Are you telling me that you _like_ Yuuma?" Rin wagged her eyebrows suggestively. She had been oblivious to this, so it could one way or another be a useful weapon, right?

"I… I think he's a really cool guy, that's all!" Miku protested with a pink face.

Rin reached for the doorknob, deciding that her friend was too in love to be of help. "Okay, I'm gonna tell him. _Hey Yuuma, Miku thinks you're a stud, so could you ask her out?_" She teased in a high voice.

"Rinnie!" Miku cried.

"What's wrong, girlfriend?" Rin asked sweetly.

Miku put her hands on her hips. "Is this what he and I were discussing about?" She, like Yuuma, was perceptive as well. Her defensiveness made Rin chuckle.

"How about a trade: that info, for my sealed lips about your obsession with Yuuma?"

"I-I don't see him like that, come on!" Miku groaned. Her face was still a rosy pink. "That's not even a bargain, try harder."

"Try this: that info, for me to keep it a secret _and _not help Yuuma cook."

Rin had refused to admit time and again, but her cooking skills were comparable to a troll's. It was hard to restrain from hollering when her best friend turned white at the memory.

"You have a deal." Miku was pouting as they shook hands. "For starters, you do know where it went wrong, right?"

"Not really."

Miku looked up thoughtfully. "Ah, let's see… it was when you said that Len wasn't like Lenka at all cos he was on his man period."

"I don't get it at all!" Rin yelled in exasperation. "What's wrong with that? It was just a normal insult! Is he an untouchable baby prince or what?!"

"But this is really serious, Rinnie." Miku's expression had morphed into one of distress. The shift in mood caught her off guard and she involuntarily shuddered. "Actually, Len is…"

* * *

><p>"You look ill, Rin," Yuuma said at dinnertime. "Did I forget to add something to the food?"<p>

The baked salmon was scrumptious, but… Rin's stomach was churning restlessly, enough to make her forget her appetite and stop eating altogether. "It's great, Yuuma, really." She speared some fish and stuffed her face, trying her best to flash her jolly smile. In a few moments she swallowed the food and sunk onto the table, moaning.

"Rinnie, don't die on me!" Miku cried, patting her back.

"I just feel nauseated, that's all. And stop slapping my back!"

Yuuma's brows creased and his lips thinned. "Miku, did you tell her…?" Rin thought she was hallucinating, but Miku seemed to jolt upon being addressed. She laughed halfheartedly, wringing her hands.

"I did, earlier on."

"I guess the perfect moment has come, then."

Rin, who was expecting the butler to lecture Miku, tilted her head. "Wait, what?" She glanced at her friend questioningly as Yuuma got up and headed for the basement. He returned with a red basket filled with the shirts he had been folding. The sight of Yuuma abruptly stopping dinner to fetch a basket of clothes perplexed her even further.

He motioned for her to get up. "I assume you're done with dinner?"

Her plate was three-quarters full. "Uh, yeah… Sorry, I'll eat it again tomorrow."

"That's alright. Come with me."

Miku waved and cheered ecstatically as Yuuma led her away. "Good luck, Rinnie! Go get him, sister!"

"I don't even know what's going on!" Rin shouted back. A part of her was dreading to see her enemy again after a day of peace. Len had gotten Yuuma to bring food to his room so it was safe to say that he had never emerged at all, save for the toilet trips she didn't notice.

"What exactly are you planning?" Rin whispered when they stood in front of Len's room. The peculiar smell of bananas already made her want to barf.

Yuuma knocked thrice on the door.

"Hey, wait!" Rin hissed.

"Master Len, I've brought your laundry," Yuuma said loudly. He always spoke so gently, but his voice was perfectly capable of piercing through if he needed it to, Rin thought admiringly. Yuuma leaned forward to the door to hear. Rin held her breath.

There was an audible grunt.

She frowned. He was so rude!

Yuuma tapped her shoulder lightly. "It's your turn now." She accepted the laundry basket with shaking hands. "Master Len dislikes superficial people."

"What—" Before she could ask, she had been shoved through the entrance. Whatever courage she had gathered dissipated with the click of the doorknob. Rin scanned the room with distrusting, fearful eyes. Every light in the room was shut off, limiting her vision. Very slowly and agonizingly, she tiptoed across the carpeted floor. When she made it safely, she was relieved that Len hadn't left any large objects lying around.

She used her toes to feel for an empty space and set the basket down as inaudibly as possible. Eventually, her eyes began to adjust to suit the lack of light. She was at the side of the room, right? Rin reached into the shadows and made out a wall and a sharp corner.

The doorknob clicked a second time, making her jump. Rin bit her lip to stop the yelp that was escaping. _Ah, so this is when Yuuma supposedly leaves the room, _she realized.

Was she supposed to leave, or…? Rin crept toward the window. The only source of light was from the moon, so it was impossible to make out if _he_ was there in the darkness, watching her with eyes of hatred. The thought made her queasy. She peered outside to get a better view.

Len was sitting on the roof.

Rin scrambled back into the shadows. For a moment, she hoped that the pounding of her heart wasn't too loud. What was she supposed to do? She had successfully infiltrated the base of the banana freak, but now what? She sat on the floor and took deep breaths.

Was all this done with the aim of… helping her talk to him? Why was he such a recluse anyway, she wondered sourly.

"I guess this is my only chance," Rin sighed. "Here goes nothing!"

* * *

><p><em>Clank.<em>

Len looked up, startled. He had been alone on the roof for a while, drowning himself in upbeat music to take his mind off the previous day while watching the sun sink into the sharp shadows of the mountains. Evading the bitch wasn't too difficult—he even doubted if she was around. He even took the time to tell Yuuma to forbid anyone from entering. Did he imagine the sound after all? Len pulled his ear pods out and rubbed his head. It was probably a headache.

_Clank._

That confirmed his suspicions. Len shifted closer to the edge, unnerved.

_Clank._

There was a… foot?

Reality mercilessly hit him when a familiar blonde head emerged. Tentatively, Rin clambered onto the rooftop. Damn it, why couldn't he react? She was already so close and he couldn't move an inch.

"W-what the hell is this?! Why are you here?" He sputtered.

The rabbit girl spent the next few seconds adjusting to comfort, before she turned to him. "Hi." She ran a hand through her short hair and let some strands fall on her face. Was she embarrassed? Whatever the case was, she wasn't supposed to be here.

"I'll push you off," Len snarled.

Bunny girl turned to him with an incredulous look. "Really, after I made the effort to come and apologize?"

"Apologize? Don't make me laugh," Len scoffed. "The day you say sorry is the day pigs fly."

To his confusion, she didn't retort like he anticipated. "Flying pigs, where? I bet they taste really good." It was an awful comeback, so she was serious. Len didn't reply and focused his eyes on the starry night sky. What was he supposed to say in this situation? Did Lenka teach him anything about this? And why did his face feel so warm? His palms were starting to get sweaty, too.

Rin coughed awkwardly. He saw her hug her knees in his peripheral vision. "So… uhh, I'm sorry for what I said that day…" She turned quickly to the side. She was expecting a reply, wasn't she?

_Well, Len? Aren't you going to say anything?_

…_I don't feel like talking to her._

Then again, he _did _want to reply. The more Len thought of what to say, the stronger the prickling sensation at his chest became. Damn it, why was she even trying? "You're not kidding, right?"

"Huh?"

"Um..." There was just so much tension, too much.

"I guess I shouldn't disturb you," Rin said hastily, getting up. "Um, I'm just gonna go—" Her foot lost balance and slapped on the smooth brick tiles. In a flash, she was sliding over the edge.

_Shit!_

Len grabbed her arm just before she disappeared from view and froze. He saw her tightly-shut eyes and felt the trembling from her body. It somehow sent a surge of adrenaline and energy through his body. Using the window frame as a grip, he hoisted her up without a second thought.

He continued holding onto her arm as she reoriented herself. "Ow, crap." He looked down and saw a long yawning cut on her left leg. It took him a bit to realize that it was the roof and his yanking that created it. Len bit his lip, guilty.

"We should go back," he offered quietly.

"You don't mind?" Why was she so surprised?

Len clenched his fists. "You just cut your leg and you're asking if I _mind_ letting you treat it in my room? What the hell?" He shouted at her.

"I can hear you fine, you don't have to yell," Rin said irritably.

Len sagged inside. He had done it again.

* * *

><p>The teens found no suitable words to converse with as Len searched for a bandage. Rin sat on the lemon yellow floor, one hand on the carpet to keep her balance and the other pinching the injury to keep the sting away. She watched as the boy frantically tossed out the contents of each drawer. He cursed loudly when he found nothing useful.<p>

"You know, I'm perfectly okay just consulting Yuuma about this," she said timidly.

"No! If Yuuma sees you with that he's going to think I did that on purpose!" Len protested, taking her aback. "Just… just wait till I find something." He shrank back to his reserved self. Rin couldn't help but grin.

"Well, thanks anyway, for helping me there."

"Were you expecting me to let you drop or something?" Rin glimpsed at him to see a frown.

"Not that I was, but I wasn't predicting that at all."

Len sighed. "I didn't predict that you would actually slip. You're clumsy as shit."

"_Like I said_," Rin said through grit teeth. "Thanks for helping me."

"Y-you're not special," Len mumbled. "It's natural to want to stop someone from falling anyway." Rin couldn't guess what face he had with his back turned to her. The mood had lightened considerably, though. Did he accept her apology? Len rummaged through the yellow cabinets and grabbed a towel.

He knelt down to look at her wound. "It's not bleeding, so I guess a wet towel can help… right?"

"Uh," she said, still bewildered by his sudden display of concern, "anything's fine."

If the situation earlier was already awkward, there would be a lack of description for when Len brought back the towel and tried to wipe her leg.

"I can handle it from here," Rin said when she noticed how reluctant he was. "Ouch." Thankfully, the fabric was warm to provide some degree of comfort. Her eyes met Len's again when she looked up. "What?"

Len shook his head (rather roughly) and turned away from her. "I-is that all you need?"

"Um, I'm good for now." Despite their uneasiness with each other, Rin found it amusing to observe his expression change from worry, to relief, and then to something else she couldn't decode.

The boy sat a distance away from her and watched till she was done wiping the cut. "Hey, why did you even bother?" He asked.

"Bother with what?"

"With apologizing, why did you?"

Rin tossed the towel to him. "Isn't it normal to want to say sorry after a big fight?"

Len's eyes narrowed. "But I never apologized to you."

"Either way, I wanted some peace," Rin explained, "I pulled the trigger, anyway."

She wanted to melt into the floor when Len perked up and shifted a little closer. "What do you mean, you pulled the trigger?" He asked coldly.

"For starters, I know that you're…" Rin gulped.

"Go on," he pressed.

"You're _adopted_." She wanted to take back her words as soon as she said them.

Len looked like he wanted to hit something, her specifically. He had the same terrifying face as when he exploded the day before. Silence shrouded them so rapidly Rin could hear his deep breaths, as though he was trying to put out an internal fire. "Who told you?" His voice was hoarse and threatening.

"Miku did," Rin paused. "B-but it was Yuuma originally. He was worried about you."

She jolted when Len leapt off the floor. He retreated into the bathroom, where she heard the sounds of a running tap and the squelching noise of a cloth being dried. Rin tried not to look at his face when he returned. "Um, I'm sorry, I really didn't know."

"Do you mind?"

"Huh?" Her curiosity willed her to look up. _He's not angry? _Len had not a face of rage, but one of profound loneliness.

"Does it matter that I'm not related to Lenka?"

Rin quickly shook her head. "Why would it matter? You two get along well, and you even look like her real brother, so it doesn't—"

"Thank goodness," Len breathed. He sat back on the floor, slightly nearer. Rin noticed that his facial features were significantly more relaxed as opposed to the frowns and scowls earlier. Did her words mean that much? It felt like this was one of the few times anyone had told him the same thing.

"So, Len," Rin asked carefully, "Are we cool?"

The remaining tension washed away when Len, for the first time, smiled sincerely at her. "Yeah, it's cool."

_It feels more awkward now, though, _Rin thought, averting her gaze to the wall. "Well, I should go tell Yuuma and Miku that I passed with flying colors," she chortled. She stretched her legs and prepared to lift herself when she felt a tug on her shirt sleeve.

"Hmm, what is it?"

"I-I don't mind if you…"

"Huh?"

"You can stay if you want," Len muttered.

"Wow, I thought you despised my existence."

"It's different now, moron!" His arguments didn't sound insulting now. "What?" He asked when she extended a hand to him.

Rin grinned. "We haven't done a proper introduction, so… It's nice to meet you, Len Kagamine."

His hand was cold, and sort of moist. She paid no mind. "N-nice to meet you too, Rin Kagamine."

* * *

><p>"Oh my god, they're so cute!" Miku squealed, pressing her ear on the door. "What do you think, Yuuma?"<p>

The butler was resting against the wall. "I'm just glad Master Len didn't chase her out. And he could have apologized to her for all the trouble he's been causing…"

"This is the best we can get outta him for now, I guess," Miku said resignedly. "But you need to be more enthusiastic about this!"

Yuuma lazily lifted his arm. "Hooray, they managed to get along. Woo hoo."

"Yuuma, please!"

_Four: end_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's note<strong>_

Oh my gosh. I'm so sorry for how long this took!

The writing style is a little different due to the huge time gap. I hope it's alright!

Aah, gosh. I really need to get used to this.


	5. Friends?

_Five_

**_Friends?_**

_(why not?)_

* * *

><p>It was a certain pungent stench that dragged Rin out of her subconscious and into the dizzying world of reality. Rin found herself wrinkling her nose as she sat up. The rubbery smell made her vision spin. She clutched the sheets and groaned. What on earth was this scent? Delirious, she barely managed to register that the blanket she held was not the sunny orange she had accustomed to, but a lemon yellow one. What color was her blanket again? Did Lenka give her an orange one or a yellow one?<p>

Rin shifted and felt an almost overwhelming urge to scratch her leg. Her nails met dry skin and she halted, tracing the outlines of a newly-covered cut. She blinked as the gears in her mind began to churn. She remembered having a half-friendly, half-insulting conversation with Len the night before. He had saved her before she could break a limb sliding off the roof, giving them a completely different way to open up than the plan she had been forced into.

Her lips curled downward. She still retained the fact that he had actually dared to push her off himself. Maybe he wasn't that bad of a guy, but he was still an ass.

After that, they had a re-introduction… but what after that?

Mind still lost in a fog, Rin swung her legs to the edge of the unfamiliar bed to get off. Her toes brushed against something warm.

What the heck?

Alarmed, she poked the foreign object again. It was soft, warm and alive.

There was a faint yawn and the creature rose. Recognizing him wasn't much of a task.

"Ahh!" Rin shrieked, pointing a finger. "W-what are you doing in my room?!"

Len seemed to snap out of his trance at her accusation. "What are you talking about?! This is _my_ room, dumbass!"

* * *

><p>"Rin, are you okay? You're pale," Miku asked curiously, glancing at her as she drank coffee. Rin had made sure to show her best face when she came to the breakfast table, but her friend was annoyingly clever as she had always been. She had taken up the role of a crazed parrot. "Rinnie, are you okay? Are you okay, Rinnie? Rinnie, are you okay?"<p>

"Miku, I'm fine!" She said a little too loudly. "I… just had a nightmare, that's all!" She made a face at her orange juice. Of all times for Miku to be concerned, why did it have to be now? Rin had a feeling that Miku already knew anyway. She snuck a peek at Yuuma. She didn't doubt the possibility that he was aware of what happened too. Comparing the behavior of her two seniors, she didn't know which was worse: the pretend-nothing-special-happened attitude from Yuuma, or the obnoxious interrogating-slash-display of concern from Miku. Both of them made her sick in the stomach.

Len had the same nauseated look. They hadn't done anything indecent of the sort (which was impossible in this lifetime anyway), but the sudden turnaround from enemies to nice-ish acquaintances was something she was _not_ prepared for. How the hell did all that change from just a few hours of interaction? Rin gulped down more orange juice for comfort. It felt a lot easier to speak when they were belittling each other. Their eyes met for a second, and it was the boy who turned away. It seemed that they were sharing the same thoughts.

According to Len before she snuck back into her room, they spent a bit of time (he emphasized "a bit") before she fell asleep on his bed (he sounded irritated at this point). For some inexplicable reason or another, he couldn't possibly carry her back to her own room or alert Yuuma, so he slept on the floor out of goodwill. He was clearly fed up with her at the end of his recount. She was still glad that he left her be anyway. The image of Len carrying her back with his own to hands was absolutely sickening.

Now the problem was: how to tell Miku and Yuuma without being labelled as a couple?

"Must've been a really _bad _nightmare," the teal haired girl drawled, resting her chin on her palm. When Rin was pleading with all of her mental strength that she wouldn't look down, she did. "Hey, what's that on your leg?"

At her question, Len spat out some of his fruit juice and entered a coughing fit. Rin clenched her fists. He had just given their position away, that twat! She didn't consider answering Miku until she saw Yuuma straighten his back to look at them. She had assumed that Len's fears of calling the man in that night were illogical, but the butler's expression was _terrifying_.

"Um, that's right!" Rin took the opportunity to avert the attention. "Miku, you haven't seen the recording for the wedding, right?" She tried not to look at Yuuma. _Buy it, girl, buy it—_

"Oh!" Miku clapped her hands together. "I _must _see that. I need it in my life." Her turquoise eyes glinted and Rin knew she had just saved her and Len's butts epically. But she craved for a little more drama. Miku was good at persuading others, but she was Miku's best friend for a reason.

She still had the butler to take care of.

"I think Yuuma has the CD…"

"Yuuma!" Miku was close to screaming her head off in excitement.

Across the table, the said man nervously adjusted his collar. "Y-yes, it will be no problem at all."

Rin quickly downed more orange juice to conceal her wide smile and watched the now unnerved butler bend under the pressure from her friend. She caught Len's eyes once again and he nodded slowly to show his gratitude. She would've demanded him to spit the words "thank you" out, but decided against it when she saw him relax against his chair. He had kept his body stiff the entire time.

Feeling merciful, she mouthed "you owe me" to him.

* * *

><p>Conscious of how loud his footsteps were, Len stalked into the main room. Yuuma was occupied with figuring out how to start up the video player and the two girls-slash-monkeys were gossiping on the couch. He took the empty armchair adjacent from them, grateful that Rin hadn't noticed him staring. The confrontation had surprised him more than when Lenka came home with a maid outfit to try on when he was fifteen. He was at a loss of how to describe their relationship, if it was worth calling it one. They hadn't spoken since he was woken up by her kicking. Why did it even bother him so much?<p>

The memory of him grabbing her arm when she fell popped up in his mind and he quickly waved it away. It wasn't a big deal, was it? And that wound nursing. God, it was so awkward he had actually toyed with the idea of letting Yuuma take over instead.

The one thing that stood out the most, though, is that she had no qualms with him being unrelated by blood to Lenka. Len couldn't wrap his head around it. Why didn't she have a problem with it?

Len closed his eyes and attempted to describe their relationship again. The word 'friend' was a bit of an overstatement, but she wasn't his foe either. Would he call her an acquaintance? It sounded too polite. What the hell were they, then?

He dismissed the thought and looked at the disk on the glass table. The shiny surface renewed the memory of when Lenka and… that dude kissed. Len scowled. He wasn't ready to embrace the marriage and the retarded man just yet. Surprisingly, he felt that he hated Lenka's husband less because of Rin. _Since when was I this soft? _Len questioned.

The disk also reminded him of—

_No, not that again! _He shook his head.

"It's not my fault I missed it!" Len could hear the two girls over the buzzing of his thoughts. "All these agencies made me so busy I didn't even have time to search 'Kagamine Wedding'!"

"It was that bad?" Rin had a face of horror. "Aw, come here." The blonde pulled Miku into a hug, patting her back as she continued wailing about her work. Len stared at them in confusion, briefly wishing he could take Miku's place. No, not ever, he quickly corrected himself.

They stopped as they heard a loud click. "That should do it," Yuuma said triumphantly. "Master Len, I will be making preparations for grocery shopping."

Len nodded. "Isn't this an isolated place though?"

"A small town was set up here a few years ago," Yuuma explained. "It means of course, the increased availability of supplies. Now, if you'll excuse me."

The blonde chuckled under his breath. Yuuma had been working for them for a long while, but he still upheld the air of formality, as though he was just hired. He could feel that the man was a wee bit on the tense side, though. Len suspected that it was the teal haired model, but he had his doubts. She didn't act like a lady at all, so there couldn't be possibly any charm.

"I just… I can't," Miku whined. "Can we skip to near the end? I don't wanna see the guest list and the intro and all that…"

"Please do," Rin said.

They both turned to him and he felt his ears burn. "Uh, I don't really care. Do what you like."

The screen flickered as Miku jammed the triangle skip button to the last portion of the video. The wedding podium with the couple and pastor came into view along with the massive crowd. It was the mass of people that provided the noise.

"Hey Len, this isn't one of those cheesy, blown-up wedding videos, right?" Miku asked.

"Doesn't look like one."

His guess was correct. Despite the lack of commentary, the video was stable enough for the camera to capture a sufficient amount of detail. Len could see the intricate sequins on Lenka's dress and the decorations on the tall wedding cake. "I think this was recorded by Yuuma."

"Hmm, not bad," Rin said.

After listening to the soporific voice of the pastor for a few minutes, it was finally time for the couple to exchange vows. The excessive squealing from Miku alone made their words inaudible.

"Miku, I can't hear anything!" Rin was hissing.

"It's just so sweet!" The girl protested, wiping her eyes.

"_You may now kiss the bride." _The hairs on Len's neck stood on end. This was the part he hated the most. Unable to tear his eyes away, he relived the dreadful moment once again. He had hoped that the event was a thing of the past, but watching it again stung his pride. He couldn't find it in him to place trust in Rinto then, and it was still the same even now.

"Ah yes, that glorious scene." Yuuma had changed into a shirt and three-quarter pants. "Truly heartwarming, but I think the quality of the video does no justice."

"That's not true!" Miku was looking at the man with a smile. "I wanna cry after watching all of this. You did great, Yuuma."

Len never imagined that he would live to see the normally stoic and composed butler flustered. It was a subtle red dusting on his cheeks, but he caught it. Did that green alien really have that much effect on him? Len found it ridiculous.

"Miku, you're embarrassing him," Rin chided, sniggering.

"O-oh, really?" The girl was genuinely surprised.

Yuuma said nothing and trained his eyes on the television screen. Yup, he was definitely blushing. Len made a little note to ask in his spare time.

"As you can see there," Yuuma said as the camera swerved sharply towards a well-dressed woman in her forties, "some interviews have been conducted. It's mostly trivial."

Miku leaned forward and squinted at the screen. "Pause there," she ordered.

Two familiar blondes were in the background, figures slightly hunched as though they just had a fight. One of them was a girl, dressed in a simple orange dress. She was holding an empty plate, which was pointed straight at the other. The boy had both fists clenched and he seemed to be in the middle of shouting something.

Rin in the video composed herself, collected some pastries and shoved roughly past Len before walking out of camera range. Len blatantly mouthed "Bitch!" and kicked the supports of the dessert stand. The table wobbled slightly from the impact.

Miku was laughing hysterically.

Yuuma cleared his throat. "Master Len…?"

"Shut up! It's not important anymore!" Len yelled, covering his face.

"While I find this quite amusing, I should not be wasting time." Yuuma dusted off his shirt. "I will be off in a while."

Len didn't answer and glanced at Rin instead. He wasn't expecting her to catch him.

"What do you want?" Her tone was a tad bit defensive.

He made his most contemptuous smile. "Nothing, I was just comparing to see if you're still as moronic as that time."

Rin flipped her hair proudly. "Even if I was, I'm still out of your league."

Miku gasped for air, laughing harder.

"Oh geez, this is the most embarrassing moment…" Rin muttered. He turned to the television once again to see the bouquet scene playing. The newlywed blondes were on the extravagant white carriage, and Lenka was standing, waving the flowers with a slight touch of concern on her face. Seeing Rinto stand and support her made Len grimace. He still looked like a total creep from that angle.

As they practiced swings in unison, the zoom-up on their faces allowed Len to analyze what he failed to catch before. From the far distance he had been standing in before, the couple seemed overjoyed and elated. Closer, they were… The mischief in their eyes was unmistakable. Both adults were staring in the same direction, grinning.

Rinto's lips moved. Len mimicked the motion, realizing that it was not an anxious breath, but the words "over there".

_Those shitheads!_

It came as no surprise to Len when the bouquet tore through the air to land directly into Rin's dessert plate. Hearing Miku's delighted squeal only served to aggravate him further. He stood up to curse at the television.

"They took their own sweet time just to set all this up? Those assholes! Fuck!"

A small punch on his side interrupted his ranting. "Dude, have you gone crazy or what?" Rin didn't seem to have caught the scheme of the witty couple. Well, not that he was expecting her to notice something so subtle anyway. He ignored her and sat back down, sulking.

Miku eyed him and he broke into a cold sweat. The expression on her face screamed psycho—the dark eyes and ridiculously wide smile was freaking him out. The glint in her eyes told him that she was aware of his unnerved staring, and very slowly, she giggled.

_Definitely crazy._

Rin rolled her eyes.

"Lenny," Miku called.

"What."

She put a finger on her smile. "Rinto and Lenka know you _so well_."

The skin on his cheeks prickled, betraying his plan to remain nonchalant. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Miku, turn off the psycho-mode," Rin reprimanded, not realizing the focus of their cryptic conversation.

"Oh, don't be that way, Lenny. We all know that denial is your cutest attire."

Yuuma emerged from his room, dangling a ring of keys in his hand. "I'll be going now—"

"I-I'll go with you!" He wasn't keen on stepping out, but it was better than letting that woman put him to shame. Shit, she was still looking at him!

"Master Len?" Yuuma was blissfully unaware.

Len snatched the keys and fumbled anxiously at the door lock. "Let's go already!"

"Bye bye, Lenny!" Miku said cheerfully as he went through the door.

_That bitch!_

* * *

><p>"Lenny's so adorable," Miku gushed. "He's still a little kid at heart, it's so endearing!"<p>

Rin smirked. "I don't know about adorable and endearing, but he's definitely a kid."

"You're so mean to him!"

"He's mean to _me_, Miku."

"You don't know half of it," her friend said mysteriously, tapping her chin.

"I'm not even interested in this _mysterious other half, _Miku," Rin said dryly.

"Don't be such a grouch! He's at least good-looking, right?"

"We are so not having this conversation—"

"Come on! Not even a bit?"

Rin paused and looked to the side. "Well… for an adopted kid, I guess he does look decent."

"Only "decent"? You're no fun," Miku whined. "But hey, if I were you I'd be happy to have his babies."

"Wha…" The blonde's face sported a shade of red. "Why are you using me as the example?!"

Miku's teal eyebrows wagged suggestively. "Nothing in the law says that a groom's sister and the bride's brother can't get married. It's totally possible! Hey, stop tickling me!"

* * *

><p>Compared to the local supermarkets at home, the convenience store was small, but the variety was sufficient to cover some higher-end dishes. Len found himself in the fruits section. Whoever their suppliers were, they definitely provided quality stuff. He picked up an orange and rolled it in his palm, wondering how anyone could consume so many of the acrid fruit. He preferred the mellow taste of bananas over the stinging sourness of oranges.<p>

"Shall we get these for Rin and Master Rinto?" The fruit fell from his hand and hit the ceramic tile. Len glared at his butler.

"Work on not scaring people, will you?" He growled. "And there's no point buying these, it's a waste of money."

"The vitamins will help Rin to recover faster."

The orange slipped out of his grasp again. "H-how did you know about that?"

"Observation is a powerful skill," Yuuma replied calmly, reaching for tomatoes. "Do enlighten me about this injury."

There was no way Rin could hide it in the living room while Yuuma was constantly moving around, Len realized. "It was an accident, she slid off and the roof cut her…" He sighed. "I grabbed her before she broke something." He added quickly.

"I see."

Was that all he was going to say? No recognition for the trouble he went through forcing himself to talk to her? "Were you thinking that I hurt her on purpose?"

Yuuma gave him a hard look. "No."

"Liar."

"I am a little curious though. Care to tell me what happened between you two last night?"

All at once, the images in his memory resurfaced. He remembered Rin's first attempt to speak to him and the way she tried to hide her face. He remembered how soft her skin was when he grabbed onto her wrist, and he remembered her uncharacteristic yet peppy smile when they reintroduced themselves.

It all made his face very, very warm.

"I… I'm definitely not telling you!" Len screamed at his butler.

The boy's tantrums came off as normal to Yuuma after working in the household for so long, but this response was so much more favorable than he predicted he was caught off guard. It wasn't even necessary to feign surprise. The plan had worked after all. He had doubts after seeing Rin's injury, but it turned out well in the end.

Len was both difficult to crack and difficult to convince, so how would he make his next move? Yuuma ran through his options and caught sight of the white pepper on the spice shelf. Ah, of course. He could use _that_.

"I heard from Miku than Rin's cooking is beyond terrible."

"Wow, really?" That alone was enough to catch his master's attention. It was a good sign. "Good thing you and that weirdo woman came before she could cook that time."

"You're being rude, Master Len."

"Not my problem she's bad at being feminine in general."

"Well…" It was time for him to test the waters. "Since Rin has to remain here for summer, I believe it would be a good idea to teach her the basics."

Len turned sharply toward him. "You'll be teaching her?"

"Yes, is there a problem?"

"Not really," the boy denied.

"We'll need this," he said as he picked up a bottle of dark soy sauce. "Are you alright with noodles today, sir?"

When Len reflexively rammed his foot into the shopping cart he knew he had taken the bait. The very first recipe than Lenka had used to tutor Len was for simple soy sauce noodles. Len's logic would thus dictate that anyone new to cooking must be taught by someone close to them instead of an unfamiliar instructor. And given the progress the teenagers had made, this move would be a threat to the boy's pride.

His employer was squirming with discomfort. "Yuuma, you take over dinner. I'll… handle lunch."

The butler smiled. Miku's matchmaking game was more entertaining than he gave it credit for.

* * *

><p>"And then that Akita girl was like, burned so bad!" The girls fell over laughing.<p>

Rin dried her eyes. "Okay, okay, so there's no doubt: my friend is a witch in disguise."

"So are you! I can't believe you convinced your ex to do the ice bucket challenge… shirtless!"

Their boredom was the perfect breeding ground for trivial chatter and gossip. They had started off with the miracle of Rinto managing to woo Lenka's parents and the prince-like qualities of Yuuma (Rin had to grab a glass of water to shut Miku up).

"Do you have any channels at all?" Rin said to the television. She was crushing the buttons, shuffling through the selection impatiently. "This sucks! I should've brought my movies."

"I think I have _Legally Brunette _with me," Miku piped up.

Rin clicked her tongue. "That one was Kaito's favorite, right?"

"…Yeah, it was," Miku replied softly.

"Oh shit," Rin cursed. "I'm so sorry! I forgot that you two…"

Miku wrung her hands. "I'm okay, Rinnie."

"You don't look very okay," Rin said, tossing the remote aside. "Geez, that bastard! He had me fooled, too."

Miku nodded slowly and stared at the carpet, biting her lip. Rin knew this behavior well enough and wanted to slap herself for her lack of tact. She reached out and rubbed the girl's back. Sure enough, tears began to roll down her friend's cheeks.

Yuuma stepped into the house with Len trailing behind at the most inconvenient time. The butler froze as his eyes fell on them. "Is something the matter, ladies?"

"It's personal," Rin said awkwardly.

"Hi Yuuma," Miku sniffed.

"H-hello," Yuuma greeted hesitantly. "Master Len would like to borrow you for a cooking lesson. Shall I tend to Miku instead?"

"You don't have to. This is a girl thing," Rin protested.

"I never said I would teach her!" Len objected.

She felt a strong pushing force on her shoulder and met Miku's watery eyes. "You should learn, Rinnie. Spare your future boyfriends."

Rin didn't know whether to laugh or be offended. Yuuma nodded encouragingly, but the churning in her stomach reminded her of Len's disagreeable nature and their cringe-worthy interactions. Being in close range with him was the last place she wanted to be, but she owed Miku something for mentioning Kaito.

"…If it helps you feel better," Rin said, defeated.

* * *

><p>It was vexing enough trying to be (or act) civil to the rabbit girl, but her glaring at his back was was the definition of nasty. Len tightened his grip around the noodle packet. He didn't mention anything about wanting to go through this hell, but Yuuma had done a <em>fantastic <em>job by volunteering him instead. He was waiting, expecting her to pick up one of the sauce pans or the cabbages, but she was just there behind him, observing dumbly.

"Oookay, what's step one?" From her voice alone he could pick up her weariness, but her curiosity was stronger. She was willing to be educated, shocker.

He gestured to the chicken. "We'll fry the meat first, that way the leftover oil will make the veggies taste nicer." The lack of offending comments made his voice sound foreign even to him.

"I don't get it, but okay. I'll watch you."

"You really don't know how to do anything in the kitchen, then?" Len couldn't help asking. Her inexperience was baffling.

"I can fry eggs!" She argued, sounding humiliated. "And pancakes."

"Why don't you chop up the cabbages? I'll handle the meat." He handed her the knife. "What?"

"I… How do you do that again?"

He gritted his teeth. This would take a while.

The cabbages resembled sawdust two minutes later.

"What… how the hell did you…? Give me that!" Len snatched the knife from Rin. "Just watch me and learn." He slid the meats into the frying pan.

"You didn't tell me how big you wanted the pieces to be," Rin grumbled behind him.

"I clearly told you 'strips'. Didn't think that _chop the fucking cabbage _was so difficult for you," Len seethed. "Never mind, I need salt now. Wait, this is sugar, moron!" He threw the sugar container back at her, slightly relieved that she caught it.

"Not my fault some jerk decided to make them look the same!" She knocked the salt shaker on his shoulder bone, making him wince. The dish was only halfway complete and she was already getting on his nerves.

He adjusted the fire and emptied the contents of the pan into a plate. "Now give me the sawdust."

"Dickhead," he heard her mutter as he received the vegetables. "Does it really matter? It's still edible."

"Edible? Maybe. Appetizing? _No_," Len said, stirring furiously. He sensed that she wanted to punch him, but the hit never came.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Professional Chef," Rin said sarcastically.

Len rolled his eyes.

* * *

><p>"You bloody idiot! I asked for white pepper, not black pepper!" Len screamed.<p>

"You didn't specify which one! Make your instructions clearer, dork!" Rin shouted.

A gray cloud rose from the wok and Len began to shriek, "Soy sauce! Gimme the soy sauce, quick!"

"Which one? Dark or light?!"

"I already said it was supposed to be light!"

"It's burning! It's burning!"

"Shit!"

* * *

><p>"I still can't believe it came out <em>not <em>burned," Len breathed, poking the noodles with a ladle.

"Should I be happy, or should I be happy?" Rin said proudly.

Len pointed to the cluttered sink. "Go wash the dishes."

"What? Why?"

"Because," he pointed his fork at her. "You nearly killed the both of us."

There was no retort and he heard the running water from the tap. "What, rabbit got your tongue?"

Rin smirked. "You wish. I'll start washing up. You tell those two that lunch is ready."

"Just admit that you lost a verbal match against me."

"I'll pulverize you after this," Rin sneered, returning to her task.

Perplexed, Len stared at her back. She was definitely not a cook, but if she had skills he considered dishwashing to be one. He watched as she rapidly scrubbed and filled the rack with spotless plates consecutively. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of respect for her quick handiwork.

"Oy, what are you waiting for, Thanksgiving?"

He realized that his cheeks were hot. "Stop telling me what to do!"

* * *

><p>Miku's mouth was opened, but she said nothing. She closed it with a smile. "Those two are natural comedians."<p>

"Even I find this quite amusing," Yuuma laughed. "Do you feel better?"

"Yes, thanks!" Miku beamed.

"I'm impressed that you've been able to cope and be cheerful despite what your ex-lover did. Your strength is admirable."

"Aw, you flatter me! Rin was a big help too. She has that quality to cheer people up even when she's awkward around them. It's why we're best friends."

"I can see why you two get along so well," Yuuma said. "You're a pleasant person yourself, Miku."

Impulsively, she blurted, "Are you using compliments to win me over or something?"

"Perhaps I am."

"You're joking."

"I'm serious."

"You know, you…" Her voice trailed off. Miku gaped at him, not trusting her ears, and Yuuma responded with a wider grin. She began to fumble with her moist hands, feeling bare. It didn't help that her mind was spinning with doubts and that her heart had launched itself into a pounding frenzy. "Are you—?"

"Lunch is ready," Len called, trudging from the kitchen. Miku squeaked and shrunk into the couch.

"What's wrong?!" Rin came running. She snickered. "_Oh_."

"Good work, you two," Yuuma complimented. "Miku, do you feel ill again?"

She coughed the tension out of her system. "I'm good. Let's eat!"

Rin whispered to Len, "I think Yuuma likes her."

Len looked at her incredulously. "No duh. Yuuma likes everyone."

* * *

><p>Len relaxed in his bed, sorting out his thoughts. Most of them were connected one way or another to the rabbit girl, but he wasn't as repelled as before. Rather, he was glad that they had fought in the kitchen, however insane that sounded. The strain from trying to be courteous had almost strangled him psychologically. Either way, he was more at ease.<p>

_Fighting normally is better than pretending to be BFFs… I think?_

She was a fast learner, too. Len had tried bullying her for her lack of knowledge after her swift dishwashing and she had recited to him every step of the recipe, all absorbed in one session. He had to cook the dish twice to remember everything from Lenka. Then again, maybe it was just the fact that he was a better teacher than his sister.

Their ambiguous, title-less relationship was still a problem. Len sat up, frowning. He didn't want to be stuck again. The phone seemed like a useful tool right now. He picked up the receiver and punched in the numbers.

He didn't have to wait long; she could never ignore a ringing phone. _"Hello?"_

"Sis, it's me."

"_Lenny, hi! Are you calling to complain?" _Her laughter comforted him.

"No, just need to talk a bit. Are you busy? Where's that guy?"

"_Rinto's in the shower, and I'm never busy when my cute brother calls, you know that! So what is this about?"_

"First of all, congratu-fucking-lations. That bitch and I are getting along like best friends, according to your plan."

A nervous giggle, _"Oh wow, you managed to catch on already? And that's great! Rinto wanted to bet that you two would kill yourselves, but miracles are real after all!" _Len suddenly wanted to hurl the phone at the wall. "_How do you find her, Lenny?"_

He fell silent and surveyed his room. "She's… not bad," he muttered quietly after verifying that no one was present.

"_That's… that's really good actually," _Lenka said slowly. _"Oh, but did you tell her about _that_?"_

She didn't have to repeat herself for him to know. "Uh, yeah. She said she doesn't mind."

"_Really?"_

"Really." Hearing her tone, Len pulled the phone away from his ear and held it out as far as possible.

"_OH MY GOD, YIPEE! Len, that is amazing! Oh my god!" _Len cringed. Even from a distance her voice was loud enough to slightly hurt his eardrums.

Telling her about the cooking session would guarantee his loss of hearing. Len gulped and timidly spoke into the receiver. "It's not that big a deal, sis. We're just semi-civil."

"_Whatever you say, lil' tiger," _Lenka teased. _"I guess you two are friends now, eh?"_

Friends. The word was unsuitable in every way yet it sounded convincing with Lenka saying it. "Isn't that a bit too close?"

"_Oh, come on! If Rinnie said that she doesn't mind about _that_ and you say she's, I quote, "not bad", I'd say she's already considered a friend!" _Maybe it was because she was his charismatic sister who went to law school, but his stand was starting to wobble.

"Your reasoning's weird, sis…"

"_You're pretty weird yourself, Lenny!"_

"That's all I called to tell you about, you can hang up now."

"_Wait a minute, mister."_

"Hmm?"

"_What happened to my iTab?"_

"I don't know, did you lose it?" The said device was charging on his desk.

"_You took it, didn't you?" _

He said nothing in his defense and instead swallowed hard.

She caught it. _"LENNY, I SWEAR I AM GOING TO KILL YOU—" _Len yanked the phone away and slammed it back onto the cradle.

If he was going to die, he would be either murdered by his sister or poisoned by the rabbit girl's food. He didn't know which was worse.

* * *

><p>When the door collided into something hard Len was sure it was his imagination, but why would he imagine the voice of a girl cursing in pain?<p>

"You sneak!" Len exclaimed, secretly wondering how she didn't fall over after injuring her head. "How much did you hear?!"

"I didn't hear anything! I was just passing by!" Rin's pink face was a dead giveaway.

Len snorted haughtily. "You're a pretty bad liar, you know. Can't resist me, can you?"

"Don't kid yourself!" She forcefully struck his leg with her iron foot.

His left leg numbed and he tipped over, hitting the wall with a smack. "Get back here, you skank…!" He sputtered as she skipped away victoriously.

"I did say I would pulverize you," she said apathetically without turning around.

Grumbling, Len rubbed the damaged spot. _Yeah, right. Friends, my ass!_ Ditching the idea of getting closer was definitely more sensible, if it weren't for his blasted curiosity about the chummy attitude she exhibited then. Damn it, if it weren't for that softer side he wouldn't have bothered wasting his precious brain power contemplating about her.

But they had come this far, Len thought. On the other hand, it was far less dangerous being allies with this girl than adversary. Maybe, just maybe, he could investigate her a little more. The words "died trying to be friends with a girl" on his gravestone sounded cooler than "died fighting with a girl". Not being subjected to her toxic cooking as a friend was a big plus, too.

_Well, what the hell. Let's do it, I guess._

He wasn't sure if he was ready to call this orange-hogging, kitchen-destroying wreck of a girl his buddy at the moment, though. Also, she would have to stop kicking him. His leg would hurt for a while.

_Five: end_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's note<strong>_

Longest chapter I've written so far. It's almost twice as much as the previous chapter. Hope you like!

Ah, so many line breakers.

I made it before 2015, thank goodness ;w;


	6. Sharp Edge - part 1

_Six_

**_Sharp Edge – part one_**

* * *

><p>The way Miku clamped onto her waist, Rin could've mistaken the sleeping girl for an extension of her body—a needless, cumbersome one. Wriggling out of her friend's clutches was less difficult than laughing aloud. Miku's face was an invitation for pranks since she was such a deep sleeper, and was the only thing she could push against. Pinching and stretching Miku's cheek created the most comical faces.<p>

The villa was delightfully furnished and pleasing to the eyes, but the plot of land would only allow for a building of its size, to specify, only three bedrooms. It was because of that Miku had moved into Rin's room. Len was definitely not an option, and Yuuma's room was cramped even with just one person. And, well, Yuuma was a full-grown man. An obedient and thoroughly-trained butler, but undeniably, was still a man. The deciding factor was Rin's bed; the queen-sized mattress was perfect for them both, comfy too.

Rin stretched. Miku's super-exclusive-deluxe-Hatsune-edition perfume was already prevalent in the air. She grinned. To be honest, she was quite surprised when Miku responded kindly to her request to "get your lazy ass over here, pronto!" over the phone after months of close to no communication. She also wondered about her friend's opinion of her. Were they still the same as back in high school, like the infamous "psycho sisters" they used to be? If Miku felt otherwise, she certainly didn't show it. She hoped it was the former.

The digital clock on the bedside table displayed the numbers 5:48 in bright neon green. Oh, right. She was up for something important, and twelve minutes to spare? Awesome! Rin hobbled over to the door, smashed her toe on the bed leg, and snuck out muttering profanities.

She concluded upon reaching the staircase that there were more hellish things than Len Kagamine. Rin only felt air when she reached out with her foot, but when she found stable ground her toes, like before, would crash into hard unforgiving wood at each step. By the time she made it down she was on the verge of tears. But twelve minutes wasn't much if her plan included colliding into things in the darkness!

Stealthily, she crept toward what she hoped to be the center of the living room in murky shadows, painfully keeping her weight from pressing into the floor. Thankfully, the rest of her housemates were still in deep slumber despite her constant groaning—no one could possibly be awake at six in the morning, right?

Her knee hit what she guessed to be the cold glass table (pain was no more than a mere itch now) and groped around for a good minute before finally seizing the television remote. Finding the couch afterward wasn't much of a task. Good.

Sighing with relief, she hit the switch and rammed the volume button before the commercial music blared out. Yes, she had successfully claimed her place even with evil octopus Miku, the lethal staircase and the noisy floor! Plus, she made it in time! Hooray to Rin! She curled up into the seat, pumping her fist victoriously.

There was no way she would allow herself to miss an episode of Voca Contenders starring her favorite boxer Uncle Ueki. Well, she had already missed one, but that was only because they only just discovered the antenna was out of order. Of course, it was Yuuma had done the repairing. The man could do anything except her best friend. Heh. And this was a rerun, lucky for her.

Uncle Ueki was a boxer in his fifties who was of small stature. Most of his opponents would laugh in disbelief after seeing how they towered over him, but Uncle Ueki had a ninety eight-percent chance of winning and would take advantage of his opponents' typically unguarded legs while he avoided their punches with his lesser height. He was a true hero, that one.

There was his signature Iron Kick! And… knockout! Rin squealed into the pillow. It was a flawless victory; nothing less from the ultra-cool and super-strong Uncle Ueki. Rin sat back in her spot. She didn't care if she had subjected her body to a whole new league of throbbing pain or if it meant she would be sleepy later on, this show had just made all her efforts…

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

…Worth it.

Len lumbered over to her. "Go away, I made a reservation," she growled. God, why did he always have to show up at the worst of times? And first thing in the morning too!

He ignored her and instead reached for the remote on her lap. She swatted his hand away. "Hey, your show's already finished."

"Not even halfway," Rin clarified coldly. "You have a smart phone, use it."

"Videos don't load because of the shitty connection here."

"Is that my problem?"

"Give me the 'mote."

"No." She found it cute that he shortened the word to 'mote', but she wasn't going to hand it over. Not a chance.

Neither of their glares could intimidate the other; this was a battle of wit.

Not. Len surged forward, snatched the control and set to work changing the channels. His staring contest act had gotten the better of her. Rin cursed. Why couldn't he be one of the more well-mannered rich kids?

She chased him round the couch, hissing angrily as he held it high above her. Damn height differences, damn everything! To add fuel to the fire, he also narrowly avoided her Ueki-style kick. "Give it back, asshole!"

Again, he didn't acknowledge her and scrambled onto the couch to continue switching channels. He stopped before Rin could wring his neck. If it weren't for the ridiculous choice she would've probably murdered him there and then. Instead, she fell back on the cushions, trembling in silent laughter.

"Shut up," Len snapped. "You're the one who's watching shows about filthy violent people."

"But a drama show? Really, dude?"

Ever polite as he was, Len shoved her to the other end of the seat with a pillow, still glaring at her. "Yes, because Lenka's starring in it. Is that reason enough?"

That caught her interest. "Ooh, really?" She decided to give him peace and watched through a romantic scene at a boat pier. Lenka was dressed in a blue dotted dress and a straw hat, and the other fellow wore a black suit. It wasn't until Len muttered "not bad, sis" did she realize that it really was Rinto's wife on screen. She decided to hold back no compliment and commended Lenka's acting in silence, watching in awe. And this… was Len's own sister. Impressive!

She suddenly remembered that he was adopted.

"Hey! What the hell?" Len protested as the remote flew from his hands and the channel changed again, just in time for the slow motion replay of Uncle Ueki's new knockout technique, the "Wise one's Punch". Rin cheered.

Now it was time for the semi-final. The drama flickered into view, much to her annoyance.

"Jerk," she muttered angrily.

Len met her eyes and shrugged.

Rin cracked her knuckles. If this was how he wanted to play, she would gladly participate, and he would be sorry he was born.

Thankfully, he was smart enough to notice her demonic aura and switch channels during commercials for the rest of the semi-final. She missed plenty of the fight, but it was enough to see the scores and the slow mos.

Len, on the other hand, didn't seem to follow the drama properly and was starting to spew clever words under his breath. She didn't relent either way; she was curious about the time bomb waiting to explode. It was amusing, watching the devil argue with himself and withhold his frustration at the same time.

Just before Uncle Ueki's opponent fell, he finally snapped.

"_Yes, yes I'll marry you!" _Lenka on screen cried joyfully.

"_Fantastic_, I missed the proposal," Len complained. "Of all things!"

"You could always ask her for an exclusive DVD or something," Rin suggested, smirking.

The boy gave her a strange look, one that said "wow, I didn't think about that at all!" and she bit down a smile. His fury returned in waves upon realizing his stupidity and he scowled. "If it weren't for you and your lousy Uncle shit—"

"Mine!" She didn't let him finish and peeled his feeble fingers off the remote, but he tugged it back with his free hand. Unfortunately, she was a muscle short of his strength and he wrenched it away. The pitiful remote control travelled some ways between the two agitated teenagers before landing on the glass table with a loud _clack!_

Their childish wrestling and the impact on the hard surface had created a combination on the buttons. Len was the first to notice the new channel on screen, and also the first to realize that he had in one way or another, unwittingly pinned down Rin under him.

He froze, and so did she.

But in no time at all she took hold of the sides of his neck, and from the trembling fingers he could clearly see that she wanted to strangle him, and maybe display his head on the front door. Why the blush, though? Hmm, it did seem a little cu—

"You have three seconds before really I kill you."

—forget that thought.

"I'd rather screw a tree even if you were the last human alive," Len said as he scrambled off. "Now shush, I like this channel."

Rin grit her teeth. Swinging her sharp bony elbow into his head seemed optimal, but the current channel was… fascinating.

She expected to see a group of obscenely dressed women jerking their butts at the viewer to music around a lead singer, but she saw a kitchen, a group of people dressed in chef outfits, and a huge spread of paper. The bakers cooperated to gradually create an enormous six layer cake in the shape of a castle, with edible details and all.

If there was anything more interesting it would be the fact that her former control-rival was already engrossed in watching. So engrossed, that he didn't even move when Rin retrieved the remote. To her dismay, it no longer worked.

"It's broken! It's your fault," she said.

"Uh-huh." Len's eyes were fixed solely on the television. She darted in front of the screen. "Oi!"

"_I said:_ your "mote" is broken now."

"I don't care anymore, this channel's good."

"I'm not moving from here."

"As if that'll fix it."

"…Tsk."

She had dug her own grave and been beaten. Rin plopped down on the couch with a sigh. Now she was not only stuck with an obnoxious self-entitled boy, but unable to see Uncle Ueki claim the glorious trophy as well. She squeezed a pillow and buried her face into it.

And just _why _did that thing have to happen? That stupid, glorified accident from those clichéd dramas! Rin grumbled. Why the heck was she so embarrassed, anyway?!

She had a good head start, but it eventually became Len's victory more than anything else. Before any more thoughts came to her, she tore the pillow from her face and gasped for air. Whoops.

"…You okay?" Len had an eyebrow raised.

"I don't need your," Rin coughed, "sympathy."

He poked her shoulder as she was about to get up. "What now?" She asked irritably.

"Um…" Len bit his lip. "Sorry 'bout that."

_The _Len Kagamine, was apologizing? "Sorry about what?"

He didn't repeat himself and shrugged. So much for trying.

Distraction came naturally. Rin's stomach growled as the bakers pulled out a tray of muffins. "Dang that looks delish."

"Those are easy to make."

"Are you showing off right now?"

"I'm emphasizing your lack of cooking skill."

She wanted to punch him, but Len's laughter sounded… different, unlike the condescending snigger she was used to hearing. Rin hesitantly poked his side instead, and he laughed some more. This guy was the same demon spawn Len?

Len rubbed his eyes, and his smile faded with his tears. "Whatever. Can you bake?"

"I thought it was already obvious I'm kitchen-handicapped."

"Memorize then." He motioned to the television. "You're good at that, at least."

What was she supposed to do, make a giant tub of cake mix? "Sure, I'll remember all the steps and destroy this place with the most _delicious_ nuclear batter."

"Eh, you've never tried?"

"Uh…" She could still recall her infamous creations she accidentally put on display at a school fair in middle school, her "Liver Killers". They looked too much like the sunflower cookies someone else had made, but they had students and teachers gagging on first bite. "Yeah, they were… exemplary, but in the 'assassin secret weapon' department."

Len's lips were curling in the corners. Was he trying not to laugh? That bitch better be prepared for— "I thought so."

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Our next challenge will be cake, then."

"I didn't even agree!"

"Did I ask?"

She placed her hand on his shoulder and squeezed.

"Ow!"

"I hope you can bake with that arm."

"I'd rather put my hand under a mixer."

"I'll take you up on that offer."

"You…" Len seethed, "damn it! How do you keep winning?"

"I don't know. Magic." She flashed a peace sign at him.

Hah, revenge for his mockery earlier. It felt good.

"So what flavor do you wanna make?" Len looked more relaxed now, and was holding a pillow to his chest.

Wow, he was this intent to humiliate her? "Human flavor sounds good." The noodle incident was tolerable, but no more. _No. More_.

"Sure, which limb do I cut from you?"

"_Just cut yourself!_" Rin snapped.

"Hey, I was only asking—"

"I don't want to cook!"

"Why on earth is it so noisy?" Both cut their arguments short to see Yuuma standing by the staircase, in a white robe. His eyes were almost fully-lidded, and he was frowning. It reminded Rin of when Rinto whenever he was dragged out of bed by their mother. "Master Len, it's six-thirty in the morning."

"Thank you for telling me." The blonde's ill-tempered self was back.

Rin picked up the remote. "This guy wouldn't lemme watch my show."

"And she wouldn't let me see Lenka's drama!"

"I came here first!"

Yuuma rubbed his head. "I don't get paid enough for this… Is the remote broken?"

"It's his fault." She pointed at Len with the said remote. Len raised both middle fingers.

The butler sighed. "I'll fix it later. For now, let's settle breakfast, alright?"

"Yeah, before this sack of bones kills me," Len said.

Rin put her hand behind her ear. "Sorry? I thought you were referring to yourself."

Yuuma shoved them into the kitchen. "Breakfast. Now."

"Right…"

* * *

><p>Either she was crazy, or Len was genuinely trying to get her attention by banging the pots and pans together on purpose. Yuuma acted normal, but the boy's volume had risen and the racket was just… odd. Rin waited at the dining table, stiffly seated and trying to ignore Len's exaggerated cooking poses and ultra-high pancake flips and his loud proclamations of "that's perfect!" It gnawed at her, as though she <em>had <em>to watch him.

Len carried the platter of pancakes, eggs and bacon to the table triumphantly with his chest puffed. She didn't look at him and he roughly put the food down with a _crack_. Yup, he definitely wanted to be praised. And by her?

_Awkward._

She opted for pancakes with cinnamon. Part of her had gone queasy from the fact that Len had actually contributed to the preparation, but she couldn't go starving. The pancake fluff left a bitter aftertaste in her mouth.

Again the boy was, gently put, observing her. The rest of his body fulfilled the task of eating, yet his eyes were boring into her. What was his damn problem? "…How is it?"

Talk about creepy _and _pushy. "Yeah, um, it's delish." Satiated, Len wolfed down his bacon and eggs. Now she could eat in peace. Her frown didn't go away.

"Our access right now might not be enough for movie streaming, but it can handle simple surfing or 'moogling'," Yuuma said.

How specific. "What kind of movies?"

"The recurring theme seems to be—"

"None of your business," Len interjected.

Having one television meant that the time had to be split between the users, namely Len and her, and she wanted to know what he would use that time watching. "Lemme guess… action movies?"

At that, Yuuma choked on his pancake, went rigid to force the lump down his throat, and breathed out with a small laugh. "Not quite. I'd say it's the opposite of what he likes to watch."

She remembered his choice of entertainment earlier. Rin looked at Len, grinning deviously. "Don't tell me… you like dramas _and _chick flicks?"

"Like I'd tell you!" The boy yelled. His plate was set aside and his foot was in its place. He held his yellow smartphone in front of him as though it were a shield. His high-class upbringing was sadly, not obvious.

Hmm, she'd find out one way or another, no matter. Rin chewed contemplatively for a good while and noticed the lack of an overpowering cloud of perfume and the lack of unintelligent gossip. Miku was still in leek-land, wherever that was. It was a little iffy since she was used to seeing her best friend seated at the dining table with only Yuuma first thing in the morning. Miku was however, a human log, so it wasn't cause for alarm. Not yet.

To Rin it only meant more food. Her stomach relented despite her internal protests of possible banana contamination. Damn it was good food. Come to think of it, she hadn't eaten anything close to this quality back home save for the celebratory occasions at swanky hotel establishments and formal parties (Rinto's out-of-jail and her beat-ten-guys-in-a-week parties not counted). And the Kagamines ate like this every day as though it was normal. Why hadn't she noted this before? Maybe it was the pent-up anger she had for Len. People like him would drop like flies in the wilderness.

"Definitely not a jungle boy," Rin thought aloud, reaching for more eggs. Mm, yummy.

Len looked up. "You might as well say that this stack of pancakes is female."

"Yeah, right. Very funny."

It seemed that he had stumbled across something noteworthy online, because his mouth closed before he could reply. "Yuuma, look at this, isn't that…?"

The butler leaned over and promptly paled.

What was that, something about a new butler at the Kagamine mansion? "Hey, I can only see the Pineapple logo from here," Rin called.

The article on the digital newspaper made her wish she had only seen the shiny fruit icon on the back of the phone. There, in bold exaggerated text was the headline she least wanted to see.

_SUPERMODEL MISSING: POSSIBLE LEADS_

The enclosed photo with it… was a blurry snapshot of all four of them at the mall when she accidentally angered Len, no less. Miku's hair was a vivid statement in itself.

Rin dropped her fork. Yuuma spat his half-chewed breakfast into a napkin. "Wha… what's this?!"

"I don't know, but it's today's." Len put the device on the table and inhaled deeply, shaking his head. "I just knew it. That Hatsune, I had a hunch she came here secretly."

"Honestly, I'm surprised you have that much faith in her," Rin said. "What else does it say?"

Len flicked his finger on the screen. He was somewhat cool with the investigative look, but she didn't say. The boy blinked twice and exhaled. "Well! Let's just say a lot of the police force is already on the search. With some spies the boss hired."

The boss, he was probably referring to the tycoon Michihito Hatsune. Rin had seen him before, only once by pure chance when Miku gave her a tour of the Voca Scent Company building. Dark teal-and-grey-hair. Stiff posture. A face of stone. That was what she remembered of him. He had only nodded when she tried to greet him.

"Wait. Did you say spies?" Shit, if Michihito already had several smaller companies working under his command (Miku often boasted about that), finding efficient search teams would be as easy as creating potent meals. "Oh my citrus, what do we do?!"

"Lady Lenka has escaped home a few times before, but I'm at a loss for this," Yuuma admitted sadly, wringing his hands. He tugged at his collar. "Isn't it warm today?"

Weird, she was freezing! "Not really?"

"Anyone would feel cold if they wore that shameless tank top." Len pointed at her.

"You're just jealous. I bet you're sweating under that pajama shirt," Rin shot back. "Hold on a sec… Yuuma, don't change the subject!"

Yuuma laughed sheepishly. "My bad. So do you two have any ideas what to do about this?"

"Gooood morning! What did I miss?"

Miku strutted in, proudly wearing the polka dot green dress she bought from the same mall they were caught on camera. It was supposedly her casual indoor attire, but she still dolled herself up with light powder and most noticeably, her super-exclusive-deluxe-Hatsune-edition perfume. Rin smelled nothing from her pancakes as her friend passed. Hmm, the smell was sort of nice, like candy.

"For a moment there, I thought you were panicking coz Rin cooked breakfast," Miku said airily. "So what's the topic? I want in."

_Sheesh, way to read the atmosphere._

Len cleared his throat and crossed his arms. She noticed that he gripped his phone a little tighter. "Right. We need to talk."

"Oh?" Miku smiled gently. "Is it good news or bad news?"

Read. The. Damn. Atmosphere! Rin wanted to scream.

"Before we do," Yuuma interrupted, "we should finish up here. I prefer the living room for… heart-to-heart talk." He was gripping the ends of his shirt under the table.

"Yes, heart-to-heart talk," Rin echoed.

Miku grinned, but for a fraction of a second, her face darkened. "Okie dokie! I'm hungry anyways." Maybe, just maybe she already knew what they had in mind. Hell, she could've been eavesdropping the entire time. If she knew, she was pretty convincing that she wasn't.

Now lacking appetite, Rin stood up, pushed the remaining bits of spongy pancake onto Miku's half-filled plate and headed for the sink.

"Rinnie, how dare you!"

_Says the person who's "hungry"._

"Shall I finish them for you instead?" Yuuma offered.

Red faced Len immediately protested, "what?! Are you crazy? It's… it's poisoned!"

"I'm resistant to food bacteria, so I don't mi—"

The boy kicked Yuuma's chair.

"Then, dearest Lenny," Miku pushed the plate toward him, "Wanna strengthen your immune system?"

Realizing the implications of his statement, Len grabbed his butter knife and waved it at the model. "No!" He blushed all the way to his toenails.

"You sure?" Miku continued to tease.

"Yeah! I mean no! Keep that shit away from me!"

Yuuma placed a hand on his chest. "But master Len, those were made by us professionals."

"I didn't say it was shit quality!" Len was shouting at the top of his lungs.

Rin popped back into the scene, drying her hands on her shorts. "Sheesh, if no one wants it, I'll finish it myself." She snatched up a pancake as she left the kitchen. "You guys are so picky."

Miku shook her head and giggled at Len, who for some reason or another, began to sulk. Yuuma applauded.

* * *

><p>Voca Contenders rerun, check.<p>

Breakfast, check.

Keep calm about situation at hand… nah.

"I didn't think the problem would be this big!" Miku screamed.

"Of course it would be! No celebrity just waltzes out of their life like in… whatever movie you watched!" Rin screamed back.

"You ingrate! If it weren't for me you would've been charged for Lenny's murder by now!"

"Oh, I'll get to that soon, don't you worry." Rin smiled sweetly.

Len shuddered. He was still clutching the butter knife.

Yuuma coughed. "Ladies, we really need to think through this carefully. We don't want anyone dashing out in tears and falling off a cliff."

"Given these two, it might just be possible," Len shrugged. "I'd better set my camera to video mode."

Miku's hands were on her hips. She stomped her foot. "No matter what anyone says here, I am _not _going back home."

"It's the only solution! Their—your dad's—goal is to find you and bring you back home!"

"Then don't let them find me. Is it that hard?"

"Actually, yes," Len spoke up. "Lenka sorta… doesn't know you're here."

"What?!" Both girls exclaimed.

"I'd call her now, but someone might be checking on them already."

"It wouldn't have been favorable to tell her in the first place. Lady Lenka gets panicky when these things happen."

_When these things happen? _"Something similar happened before?" Rin asked.

"Not now, Rin." _Darn._

Len rubbed his chin. "But I agree with rabbit, your hair is just too obvious." Oh, happy day. Len was agreeing with her.

"Other people dye their hair this color too!" Miku stroked one of her long ponytails. "I can't be the only one, right?"

No one answered.

Rin rolled her eyes. "Your face is pretty much plastered everywhere on magazines. Anyone would recognize you, unless they live in a cave at the depths of the earth, far, _far_ away from modern human civilization."

"Why does the problem have to be with my hair? It's always my hair!" Miku whined.

Then it hit her like a jolt of electricity, the simplest as far as simple ideas could get. Rin looked at the person in question, who jumped back at her expression. Ah, so she knew all along.

"A haircut and dye," Rin realized, "it's a temporary solution, but it could work!"

"Haircut," Len repeated. "Yeah, sounds good."

Yuuma hummed with approval. "I concur, now where did we keep the scissors?"

Miku beamed at them with a terrified smile…

And bolted for the door.

"Someone grab her!"

* * *

><p>Miku Hatsune's way of dressing and conducting herself had convinced him that she was petite, pampered and unable to defend herself. He realized, upon having to restrain said girl from ending her life by cliff jumping, that the 'defenseless' part of his impression of her was absolutely, utterly and completely <em>wrong<em>.

Len stuck an ice pack on his face. If there was anything he could be proud of, it would be that his strength was greater than that of a full grown tuna. For now, he would treat the red slap marks as battlefield wounds.

Rin was there when he opened the toilet door. Part of her left cheek was swollen; she had been in charge of binding Miku's feet.

"Your teeth still a complete set?" He asked.

She glared fiercely, but showed her gleaming white smile. "Please, I've handled worse."

Whoa, her teeth were nice. How did he not notice earlier? "What could be worse than a tuna in the form of a girl?"

"You, I guess?" Ouch. "I'm kidding. That expression though!"

Huh. To think that he had actually been offended, he had gotten soft. "What expression?"

Rin looked up thoughtfully. Then she stuck out her tongue and slammed the door. "Too bad, I don't remember."

Well then.

"Son of a bitch."

The lunatic model was trapped under several layers of tape, stuck on a folding chair on the porch. She had given up debating and was bawling. Yuuma stood on the side, apologizing and rubbing his head once in a while.

He made his way to them. "When should we start?"

"Preferably now, the hair salons further down don't stay open all day," Yuuma replied. Oh yeah, they didn't have hair dyes here, pity.

"How about never? I could just hide in the basement and not see sunshine for a few years." Miku suggested.

"Yeah, I wonder what will happen when you run out of makeup."

"Ohh, meanie."

"Took you long enough to realize."

"I'm back!" Rin announced loudly. "Wow, good job Yuuma." She laughed at Miku's pout.

"Yes, but it did require every roll of tape in the house. I should restock…" His voice trailed off and his head lolled forward.

"Oh no." Miku wriggled in the chair and shifted it an inch towards Yuuma. _What was I saying about tuna strength? _"Y-you should go rest!"

Yuuma pressed on the bridge of his nose. He straightened his collar. "I'm alright, no worries."

"If you say so." Rin scratched her head. "We've completed step one, which is to immobilize the unwilling customer—" Miku scowled at that. "Now for step two. Who can do the haircut?"

"I managed to find the set of tools lady Lenka left here," Yuuma produced a coral pink pouch, revealing the shiny gold scissors and white cape inside. Those scissors looked kind of familiar, but why were they here again? Also in the pouch were a plastic comb, cooling powder and a large brush. They looked familiar too.

Rin set the items on the porch bench. "That's pretty convenient. This way we won't have to risk getting caught on the way to the salon. But again, who can do the haircut?"

His memory was hazy, but it was still there. It was on another summer when he was much younger. Lenka had one of the staff ring up a professional barber around the area. A tall, dark-skinned man with a fancy swirl in his indigo hair came. He sat in the corner, watching him do his job. His daughter, with similar skin and hair, wouldn't stop pestering him.

"I could do it, but I believe master Len is more capable." Yuuma's voice snapped him out of his recollection. "Aren't I right?"

So this pair of scissors… was the same pair that Lenka gifted to him when he expressed his interest in "doing what that big man was doing". Len's fingers gingerly traced the Kagamine name engraved on the blade. No wonder he couldn't find them after that holiday. Lenka had brought them along when she went to refurbish everything.

"It's been a while," he chuckled.

"Wait, wait. Huh? You can actually…?" Rin gaped at him. _Yes, be amazed._

Len put his finger through the scissor handle and spun it. "I try."

"He was Lenka's hairstylist in emergencies when she couldn't summon a stylist," Yuuma explained.

Still, this new information didn't wipe off Rin's suspicious look. "Alrighty…" Nope, she didn't believe him.

"Oh my gosh, that's amazing!" The opposite was true for his new customer. "Why didn't you tell us before?"

He shrugged. "I'd rather demonstrate than talk." It was partly true, because he hadn't known of the existence of his old scissors. Without them he had little reason to say. Plus, he doubted Rin would've trusted him at all if he introduced himself to be "good with scissors". Pssh, who needs her trust anyway?

"I'll look for the nearest stylist, then," Yuuma said. "It'll be a while before you'll finish, right?"

Len inspected Miku's flowing stream of hair. This wasn't just long, it was practically a forest! "Yeah, I guess so." His thumbs were tired already. Hoo boy.

"There's the phonebook." Yuuma pulled out a thick yellow book from under the table and headed for the kitchen phone.

"I think I'll stay here and watch. Just in case." Rin stared at him.

Miku chirped, "Yeah, it won't be so lonely around here."

"Before I start, can I just ask how the hell you managed to grow a _jungle_?"

"All you have to do is get a trim and be bullied by others about how boyish you look," Miku answered smoothly. "And never see the salon again."

That made him uncomfortable. "…For how long?"

"Let me see… about five years?"

His scissors were half the size of regular ones. Len gulped.

"Are you chickening out?" Rin was smirking at him.

He jabbed the scissors in her direction. "We'll see who's chicken when we make that cake."

"Bring it!"

"Oh la la," Miku sung, "not even a week and you're already reserving Rinnie? I'm jealous!"

"Miku!" Rin groaned.

_I hope I don't accidentally cut her head off…_

Len brought the scissors to his face and looked for a starting point with an eye closed. In sitting position, Miku's teal hair pooled on the floor in small heaps. If they were going to make her unrecognizable, he would have to resort to _that_. "How short do you want it?"

"The middle of my back."

"That's still too long."

"But it's my hair!" Miku wailed.

"It'll grow back anyway." He waved his scissors nonchalantly.

Rin giggled. "Yeah, that's what bro says when mom complains about a haircut."

"Boys are all the same," Miku huffed.

"So," Len cleared his throat. "Short hair."

"How short," Miku said tonelessly.

"_Reeeeally_ short."

She sighed. "Knock yourself out."

Ugh. She only gave in now. How much was she going to complain and blackmail him later? He tied the white cape ribbon around her neck.

Gathering the full volume of hair in his hands, he divided it into half. Damn, not even Yuuma's hands would be able to hold it all. He raised the one half high, and from there his work began. _Snip, snip. _Thanks to the sheer thickness the scissors imprinted handle marks on the flesh of his hands. It stung a little. Bright teal started to decorate the ground in wiggly lines and coils as he forced the blade through. The edges were horribly frayed now. It was the worst way to start, but what else can you do with hair that long and thick?

Now it was about shoulder's length, a much easier state to style in. Len took hold of the hair again and pressed his free hand on the base of Miku's neck. "Any objections to the bob style?"

"Yes, too breezy." Miku snorted. "No objections, good sir."

Good sir? What in hell was that nickname?

Rin was grinning on the side. Miku's comment probably did that, if that was any explanation. Still, he was glad she wasn't so stiff anymore.

After a quick combing down Len parted the hair again and clipped up one left layer. Hmm, her hairline wasn't so difficult to work with. He clipped up the right and trimmed away at the inner hair. _Let's see… that guy always said to make a 'V' or an upside down 'V'…_

"That tickles!" Miku shook the chair with her giggles.

He took the rare opportunity to press the tip of his scissors on her neck. "Too bad."

Cutting round the hairline gave it a V shape. Heh, not bad handiwork if he had to judge for himself. He freed the rest from the clips and shaped the bob. Thank goodness it wasn't crawling with mites or dandruff. Maybe he should try the Hatsune-brand shampoo.

The rest was a piece of cake it was mundane. Before he caught himself he asked the one question that had been lingering in his thoughts. "Hey, what's the story about your ex?"

Just like that, Miku's entire frame shuddered. Rin stood up.

_Shit._

She stormed toward him.

_Shit._

She raised her fist.

_Shit!_

"Wait, Rinnie!" Miku startled them both. "I think it's okay."

"You _think_?" Rin questioned, not moving her arm.

"Yeah, it's fine." The girl backed down looking more unhappy than ever. He would laugh, but he was in the middle of a cut. "Lenny, why do you want to know?"

He resumed. "You've only talked to Yuuma about it."

"Feel left out?"

"You wish. I'm just curious."

Miku 'hmm'-ed for a while. "Why not? This way I'll have more people to beat up Kaito for me in the future."

"I guess the scissors could be a valuable asset," Rin conceded.

Len wanted to say that listening to a sob story would _not _guarantee he would readily give up his custom-made scissors for the murder of some ex-boyfriend of a celebrity. He didn't want Rin or Miku to be the last person he saw before he himself died, however. And hey, he was still working on his finest project yet.

Until he got around to shaping the outer hairs, the two were in deep thought.

"Haah," Miku breathed out, "I don't know where to start! Let's see… you know that company called _Gelato Mirai_?"

"That's Lenka's number one stop for banana splits, actually." He remembered the name thanks to his sister's constant begging to order ice cream from there. But that would only mean…

"Yeah. Well, the bigwigs are the Shions, who happen to have a son named Kaito. He and I were engaged from the time we were old enough to understand and abuse the words 'ugly' and 'fart'. That was until two years ago, when the fire nation attacked."

Rin slapped her forehead.

Miku giggled. "Gotta keep this convo light for my sake. Anyway, he found someone else he liked better, literally just dropped everything related to me including the engagement and went after that girl."

She phrased it to sound comical, but he couldn't deny the level of tragedy in it. Yikes. If anyone did that to Lenka they would face the wrath of his scissors, or worse. "You didn't do anything?"

"All I could do was cry." Miku's smile turned forlorn. "But I'm much better now."

He stopped cutting. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. If it weren't for Mei, I wouldn't have known Kaito was like the human scum he is."

"Who?"

"Oh, Meiko Sakine. Her family has a business with wine and alcohol, the high end stuff. I'm grateful to her. Now I'm free to mess with whoever, whenever."

"That's disgusting," Rin commented, wrinkling her nose.

"Ah, well, I still have a ways to go. Unlike Rinnie here, she has someone already. And he's super cute in my opinion." Miku winked at him.

Rabbit actually found someone? Must be some pity-miracle from the heavens. "I feel sorry for him."

"_Oh my god_, do I have to spell it out for you?" She said in disbelief.

"Miku, I will personally pluck all your hair out." Rin cracked her knuckles.

Len adjusted Miku's chair slightly and bent down to level with her face. "I'll trim the bangs now. Any style you don't dislike?"

"I want ruler-straight. I'm so sick of this anime-style hair, seriously."

Rin howled with laughter. "Now I get to call you mushroom head!"

"Nooooo!"

"The initials are the same! MH! Miku Hatsune, Mushroom Head!"

"_You traitor_!" Miku looked up at him, sniffling. "Len, don't give her my stuff when I'm gone."

"Uh, whatever."

He switched to his right hand. The earlier severing of the first three quarters and the pressure on his fingers to cut along the hairline had taken a toll on his left. The bits of hair sprinkled over Miku's pale face reminded him vaguely of the toppings on a cream pastry. At least it was easier to spot compared to blonde hair. Lenka's first haircut from him was brief, but majority of the session was brushing the extra hair off due to his nervous hands—blonde blended well with her skin.

Even with her eyes closed, Miku still had a hint of a smile on her pink glossy lips. She certainly didn't look like someone who was betrayed by a longtime to-be-spouse. Where and how had she managed to gather so much optimism and confidence after all that? Looking at the model's serene face, she seemed ten times more mature and intelligent now. He would never admit.

And finally, he was done.

Len put his tool down and brushed the hairs off her face. "Finished. You can check now. I need some water…"

Rin peeled the tape off the customer's arms and handed the mirror to her. "Yeah, you should see the all-new mushroom head."

"I feel like I'm in a horror movie…" On a count of three, Miku thrust the mirror into her face and stared into it fearfully.

Dead silence.

"Um, I was kidding," Rin said quickly. "It doesn't look that much like a mushroom…"

Miku squealed.

"OH MY GAWD, I'M SO CUTE! IT LOOKS AMAZING!"

Len raised his chin. "I know."

"Start running," Rin said.

"Why?"

"LENNY! THANK YOUUUUUUU!" By some supernatural phenomenon, Miku had ripped herself from the chair.

Now she was charging full speed at him, still wearing a hair-ridden cape and with tape trailing from her body.

"GYAAAAAAA!"

* * *

><p>Len owed her big time.<p>

"Not bad for a 'stupid rabbit', eh?"

The boy looked at her crossly from his spot on the floor.

Rin shrugged. "Was waiting for a 'thank you', but fine. Whatever floats your boat."

"I want an explanation before I further humiliate myself."

"I only told her that Yuuma should see the new haircut."

The sound of splashing water echoed softly from the bathroom upstairs.

Len's eyes narrowed. "And I'm in your debt because of that?"

"Yes."

"And how is that a good reason?"

"Do you need to remind you that you might've died at the hands of a _model_?"

"Please, that was only a small shock—"

"LENNY!"

"AAAAH!" The boy yelled. "Havemercypleasedon'tkillme!"

"Aha! I knew I still had some Miku voice in me!" Rin clutched her stomach in laughter.

"You… psycho!"

"I'll take that as a compliment. Where's Yuuma?"

"Kitchen, I think."

As they came closer the pair of feet poking out from inside became more obvious. It was strange that they were in lying position. Rin would've screamed if she knew those two feet belonged to the butler, who was now sprawled across the floor face down and motionless, telephone in hand.

"YUUMA!"

Len was next to him before she could command herself to stop gaping and move. He turned the man over gently and shook him by the shoulders.

"He's still around, but his body's really warm." Yuuma's cheeks were flushed pink. "I bet it's the fever he's been hiding."

"What… how… how long?"

"I don't know. He's just sleeping now." Len hefted him up. "You carry his legs."

The guilt festering in her was hard to pull away from. "Y-yeah."

They passed by Miku on the way to Yuuma's room. Her immediate reaction was to squeeze the man's limp hand. Amazingly, she ignored the fact that she was dressed in only a bathrobe and rushed down to fetch the ice packs and towels.

"He circled out one shop on the phonebook." She brought it back along with the rest of the items. "Will he be okay?"

Len nodded. "It's just the heat. He comes from a colder town, so it's not a first."

"I feel awful," Rin admitted, activating the air conditioner.

"He's smart enough to know that he did this to himself." Len was scribbling into a yellow sticky note.

"I knew something was up," Miku said sadly as she laid the ice pack on Yuuma's forehead. "He said it was fine—"

"He prioritizes his job over himself like that." Len waved his hand dismissively. "Not your fault he decided to overwork."

"Sadist," Rin muttered.

"He goes crazy if he sits still. Even I can't stop him."

The three left the chilly room arguing softly about whether or not Len was a slave driver.

_Yuuma,_

_Yeah, you overworked yourself, AGAIN. Please stop being such a moron. It makes me look bad, honestly. And we got this salon business covered. __Stay put.__ That is an __**ORDER**__._

—_Len_

Yuuma's silver sedan was resting in the metallic-smelling garage. Len could see the few scratches on the doors and the windows, and the slight dents in the fender. Lenka would never have left it in this state, but Yuuma had always insisted that if the car could serve its purpose, there would be little need to refurbish it or get a new vehicle. It just wasn't his number one priority.

While the exterior was unimpressive, the interior was well-kept for. Now that he wasn't so intensely aggravated at Rin like back then, he could examine the car properly. It smelled faintly of lavender. The butler had taken the time to spruce up the windows with little curtains and add extra cushions to the passenger seat. He hadn't taken a good look at the little sticker at the back. Upon inspection, it read 'Prissy prince on board'. Wait, what?

"That's a good one," Rin snickered.

Maybe he should peel it off.

Before he could pull the door open, Rin bumped into him.

"What?"

"What." She glowered at him.

They collided again.

"The passenger's seat isn't here, you know." Ew, she'd better not sit in the front with him.

"Yeah, it's just right there." Rin didn't budge.

"Are you old enough to drive?"

"Are _you_?"

"Rinnie! Don't leave me alone!" Some girl—um, Miku wailed. She had a huge pair of leopard-frame shades and a hood over her head. The disguise was working. She was already inside, hugging a cushion.

She pinched his arm and reluctantly complied.

Len squirmed into the driver's seat, fumbling for the engine slot. "Uh, so where is this salon again?"

"It's near that mall, but it's a different building. It's only a single road, so it's pretty straightforward." All this was coming from someone who wouldn't touch the steering wheel. "You _can _drive, right Lenny?"

"Well…" He fidgeted. "I've had some experience in video games…"

Rin shouted, "Why can't I do the driving? I've used Rinto's car!"

"And destroyed pretty much all of it in that one trip," Miku added. "I think Lenny-poo has a… lower chance of causing disaster."

_Gee, thanks._

"He drives virtual cars, Miku!_ Virtual cars_!"

"You've driven a real car to its death!"

"Argh, forget it. Just go. I'm gonna double-strap myself here."

Len rolled his eyes.

_First thing's first… how do I get out of reverse mode?_

* * *

><p>"I told you I would be the better driver!"<p>

"I didn't even damage anything! What is your problem?!"

"Thanks to your constant braking I almost got a heart attack!"

"You didn't get one so I don't give a damn!"

"CHILDREN!" Miku bellowed. "Did the plan change to shout-outside-all-day-and-get-screwed-over?"

"Miku, he—"

"It doesn't matter." Miku sounded irritated. "We're already here and all in one piece, yeah?" The sunglasses had upped her bossiness. The hooded girl pushed the door open before they could utter a word.

Len gagged immediately. The acrid smell of hair dye, conditioner and other mumbo jumbo would definitely be number one of things on his list of 'what sucks about haircutting'.

The two-storey salon had white marble for flooring and purple walls, mostly decorated with certificates and awards for excellent service. It was fairly quiet for a building of its type. Perhaps it was the location, but then again, where did all those certs come from? The staircase leading up was just near the entrance. He could hear the buzzing hairdryer upstairs. Two of the blue leather chairs were occupied by teenage girls, both on their smart phones. One was nodding, plugged in to music and the other was laughing at videos.

Miku cleared her throat and the video-watcher came running. "Welcome to Aoki Stylists! How can I help you?"

"A hair recolor sounds fantastic right now," Miku answered sweetly.

"Oh hey, are you the ones who made an appointment earlier? We don't usually open at this time, but the guy on the line said it was urgent. He hung up before I could ask for a contact, though…"

"You mean my friend. He has heat issues, you know what I mean."

The girl nodded sympathetically. "I can't even begin to describe the weather these days! It's so bad for business. Have a seat, miss. I'll be ready in five." She went for the staircase, but when they made eye contact she halted. "Are you… Len Kagamine?"

Weird, he wasn't a celebrity like Lenka. He blinked. "That's me. But who are you?"

The girl squealed and clapped her hands excitedly. "Long time no see, Lenners!"

_Lenners?_

"…Merli?"

_Six: end_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's note<strong>_

_Words (story): 8, 006. It's a whopping 52 kilobytes! That's a new record for me, hahah._

_I found this chapter to be the most difficult to write so far, because at this stage everyone's done trying to smother each other with love and start doing things out of the villa. The scenery's changing a lot. Also because of the new characters coming up! In fact, the original material for this chapter was so long I had to split it into two so I could send an update your way! The next chapter will be part two of Sharp Edge._

_Rin and Len still won't stop being babies, heh._

_I wish Uncle Ueki was a real boxer._

_I referenced one of Saki Fujita's (Miku's voice provider) hairstyles for Miku's disguise and asked one of my folks for the basics of hairstyling. Man, being an author requires so much research. But that's what makes it fun to write, this story especially!_

_Also, sorry for the super long wait (again…). I don't want to compromise the quality of my writing for speedy updates. I can't guarantee quickies, but I can say for sure that I'll do my best for each and every chapter!_

_I want to thank everyone who's read this far, faved, followed and reviewed this story. No worries, this story will continue on through to the end. You guys are a lovely bunch. Thank you so much for putting up with me! I really should work on replying to reviews…_

_But that's enough from me. Which part did you guys like best about this chapter/the story so far? Let me know!_

_What do you think will happen next? :3_

_See you when I see you!_


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